The Fallen
by Simply Seth
Summary: Who ever said that all Angels were the epitome of purity? Warnings: Language, Violence, and Blood.
1. Prologue: Introductions

_Author's Note: _

Alright! First story! This is going to be a fanfiction of _Slightly Damned_, an online webcomic by Sarah "Chu" Wilson. Though, I suppose you'd already know that if you're visiting the fanfiction page of it.

Some things you need to know; the story takes place a month or two before Rhea and Buwaro's escape from Hell. My main character will be introduced here in the first chapter, and will mainly take place from his point of view. If you are reading this, and you find that the information presented here is wrong, than chances are that the chapter was published before that information was released as canon. So 'scuze me if I present some off information.

I have no real schedule on updates for this; I just update whenever I feel the need, or have the inspiration to do so. As such, forgive me if I take some _really_ long breaks from this. Like Chu, I have a life of my own I need to attend to. And speaking of updates, if a some information that I think I might need will pop up in the comics next couple of pages, I might halt the story. So, there's another excuse for a hiatus! HAH!

Oh, and Chu, if you're actually reading this piece of crap, than I simply can't believe you're doing so. Honestly, sorry if you ever feel insulted. It's just _my_ take on _your_ world.

Disclaimer: _Slightly Damned, _and any other references found in this story, do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries, and I claim no ownership of them.

So, without further ado, I present to you all my first fanfiction;

_The Fallen _

Prologue: Introductions

"_Class!_ We've a new student today! Please, be polite! Pipe down!" the teacher of the class, Mrs. Jaine, said. Jaine is an Angel, a school teacher, a capable fighter, and a caring being, all rolled into one. Jaine has green hair that spiked up all around, showing that she was a wind elemental. The hair was put into two pigtails that fell down to her chin, and had two pendants; the star, and the sun. This, of course, granted her wings, that, at the moment, she hid, as well as enhanced magic and concentration, respectively. She wore the typical clothes for a wind Angel; the green vest that dropped into a triangle, the white, sleeved shirt, and the slightly baggy-looking white pants. Jaine has two bright, gold-colored eyes, as well as a pale complexion, like all Angels.

The students stopped their talking almost immediately after the teacher said this, curious as to who this new student might be. "Good. You can come in now, my new student," Jaine said pleasantly. And walked in this new student did.

All of the students suddenly tensed at the new Angel's appearance. He was… Unique, to say the least. He has relatively smooth, white hair that parts in the front, so that it just covers his right eye, and, like most Angels, has two bangs going down to his shoulders; these are black, instead of the usual red, blue, green, of yellow seen in most. Speaking of eyes, his were simply strange, perhaps even a little unnerving; instead of the usual single eye color most beings have, this new person's were a deep, blood-red on the outside, and pure black on the pupils. This tends to scare people, and the students are no exception.

But that isn't the only thing strange about him; his clothes, unlike most Angels' 4-colored tabard, with the white pants and undershirt, his shirt are black; said shirt sported a slightly gray, mysterious design. This design has a cross-like segment at the bottom, which then splits into a half-circle. A ball-like shape rests just above this half-circle, forming a shape that resembles the sign of Pluto. This is Medius' symbol of darkness, and evil.

Other than those things, however, he appears just like a normal Angel; pale complexion, pointed ears, and admittedly strange-looking clothes. "Urm… Hello?" he said tentatively.

The classroom in it's entirety were all a little freaked out by him, some even shaking in fear a little bit. 'I knew it… They're all scared of me,' he thought sadly, looking down to the floor. "Class! You are being very rude! Stop shaking, everyone! He's not evil! Calm down!" the teacher said, a little angry at all of them for being so afraid. One of the students, a fire elemental judging by his looks, decided to voice his worries.

"Bu… But teacher! Just _look_ at him! Is he even an _Angel_!? What if-" "What if I harm you? No… No, I will not," the new student spoke up unexpectedly, head now held up high, looking rather brave. "I promise you that. Well… At least, if you don't do anything that falls under my definition of wrong. And don't worry; my definition of the word should generally be the same as yours." Jaine then decided that this was a prime place to intervene. "See? He's harmless! Now, then, care to properly introduce yourself, my new student?"


	2. Chapter 1: New Acquaintances

_Author's Note: _

Alright, decent start, if I do say so myself… Sorry for the wait, but I lost my internet connection for a couple of days. Plus, this is a somewhat longer chapter than the absurdly short first chapter, so it's kind of justified.

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, are not mine. They belong to their respective developers and subsidiaries, and I claim no ownership to any of it.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 1: New Acquaintances

"Hello there, everybody," he began. "Sorry for stirring up some fright. I can't exactly control how I look, you know." He then proceeded to glare at most of the class, especially the fire Angel that spoke up earlier. "My name is Satuxim Umra, but you can just ignore the last name, if you wish. I never really was one for unnecessary formalities," he said, rather on the pleasant side. "At the moment, I am fourteen years and seven months of age, and if you are wondering what is with my strange appearance, you can blame where I grew up for that." He then proceeded to drop a _huge_ bomb;

"_I am from Hell_." Everyone present in the room then proceeded to gasp somewhat dramatically, even Jaine, who apparently didn't know about this, either. "Oh, don't go fainting dramatically on me," he said in a bored sort of fashion. "You have no idea how many people have fainted from my saying that. It actually gets a little irritating after a while."

Everyone couldn't help but stare at him strangely after their gasping was done. "…What? It's true!" A couple of them then proceeded to lot of a small laugh. "Go ahead! Laugh at me! I tried to a bit of humor to lighten everyone up, and I think it might be working…" He said silently to himself at the end. Everyone then proceeded to let out a fairly hearty, friendly laugh, except a certain water Angel in a seat near the corner, who merely shivered…

"Ah, and if you wish for more information on me besides just my home, than you must first earn my trust. I don't just give out personal information to random strangers, you know. Oh, and if you aren't trusted, and if I do not know you, than you are most likely an enemy. And I mock, spite, and smite enemies whenever possible, so being an enemy is _not_ advisable." Everyone piped down upon hearing this, again being a little unnerved by his speech.

"Okay, Satuwim, I think that's enough of introductions," Jaine said, thinking this would be a good time to stop, and get back to the class that Satuxim interrupted. "Let's get back to class. Satuxim, you may sit next to Kieri Suizahn," she said to him. "Careful, though; she's a tad shy. Be nice around her." She whispered the last part into his ear, not wanting to potentially offend her. "'Kay. Don't worry, I know her type. Silent, but most likely strong…" He whispered back. Jaine nodded in response. Satuxim then nodded back, walking towards his new seat-to-be, and the quivering Angel in the corner.

Kieri simply looked terrified, shaking more and more as Satuxim drew closer, and closer. After Satuxim sat down, he tried to calm the water Angel down a little by attempting to be friendly. "…Hello, there. My name is Satuxim. And you are…?" "K-K-Kieri! Kieri Suizahn," she said, with fright lacing his voice. "Ah, of the clan of water Angels? A respectable heritage… Sometimes, I wish I were the same…" He spoke in a far-off, wistful tone. Said water Angel merely stayed silent, still quivering on fear of her new classmate.

_A little later…_

"Alright, everyone! Class dismissed!" Jaine said cheerfully. Everyone present in the room then thanked Jaine, except Satuxim, who was in the dark as to why everyone was thanking her. "Urm… Kieri? Why is everyone thanking her?" He questioned. "Y-Y-You must show y-your thanks for what knowledge she has given you…" "Ah! I get it! Just not used Angel to culture yet…" He would have begun thanking the teacher as well, but by the time he finished the previous sentence, everyone started to get up, and leave.

"Ah! Sorry, Jaine! I didn't know! So-" "It's okay. You didn't know. Just go." Satuxim simply nodded his apology, and left out the door. The last to leave was Kieri, who wanted so ask Jaine a question. "M-Miss… Teacher? "A-Are you sure he's-" "Yes. I can tell. He is a kind soul. You will see, just trust me." Kieri couldn't help but stare at her for a moment, then shook herself, and left the room.

Mere moments after Kieri left the door, she found Satuxim, middling around the school's courtyard, for unknown reasons. He looked a little… unsure of himself, almost as if he wasn't sure what to do next. Satuxim glanced up for a moment, and spotted Kieri looking at him, a little frightened. "Oi, Kieri! Can I ask a small favor of you?" He then started walking towards her. Kieri started backing away, getting more and more scared the closer Satuxim got. When he was close enough, she put her arms up, in a motion of self-defense, scared that he might harm her.

Satuxim understood why she did so immediately. "Oh, I get it! Don't be scared! I'm not going to harm you! I said so in class!" Upon saying this, the water Angel put her arms down, and glanced up for a moment. Then she saw his eyes… and completely broke down into a shaking, sobbing mess. '_T-T-Those eyes… Those eyes!_' Again, Satuxim understood immediately. "… Ah. I see. Well… this is just how I am," he said solemnly. "I'm… sorry for scaring you like that. I can easily see why you were shaking in class whenever I looked at you, now. I… guess I'll just leave, then," spoke him, a little sad. Head down, he began walking way.

"W-Wait!" Satuxim turned around, a little surprised to find her wanting him to stop. "W… what is it you wanted?" Satuxim grinned a little, appreciating her courage to continue talking to him. "Ah… Well, you see… I… don't exactly have a home to return to, at the moment…" he said in an embarrassed tone. "So… I was wondering… can I stay at your place for the time being?"

Kieri couldn't help but gape a little bit upon the asking of this question. She couldn't help but nod, not sure what to make of this question. "I… I'll ask Mother and F-Father. Y-Y-You can follow me to my house…" Satuxim's face then morphed itself into a fairly wide, grateful smile. "Thank you, Kieri. I appreciate it." Kieri herself couldn't help but put on a tiny smile of her own, happy at his showing of gratitude.


	3. Chapter 2: A New Home

_Author's Note: _

Thank you, reviewers and viewers alike! As a new author, I need the attention to keep myself going. The wait wasn't as long as Chapter 1, so at least be grateful for that… And if you're wondering, _no_, that is _not_ a reference towards _A New Hope_. Also, this is _not_ going to be OC/Kieri. No, that spot is reserved for another OC…

Disclaimer: _Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them

_The Fallen _

_Chapter 2: A New Home _

"So… How far from here to your living space?" Satuxim said in yet another attempt at casual conversation with the still somewhat scared water Angel walking right beside him. The homes they were passing by were all of rather grand design, seemingly made out of pearl. The street they were walking on also seemed to be made out of pure gold.

"P-Perhaps a few more m-minutes?" She said timidly. "Okay, then. So… Have any brothers, or sisters?" He asked curiously. "I-I have one… Kazai, my t-twin brother. H… He's stronger than I am." Kieri couldn't help but look down a little bit." "I a-always feel… inferior because of that." Satuxim quickly figured out that this was a sensitive topic to her. "… We don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to…" "N-No! It's not like that… W-We don't dislike each other, or a-anything. We're close. I-It's just… I feel unneeded when compared to him…"

"Okay, Kieri, look at it this way. While he may be better at combat, or other physical activities," Kieri looked down even lower at this comment, "consider other fields of education. Or just life in general. Perhaps you are better at math. Or science. Or maybe even Lingo, if you are taking that. He may be better at you in certain things than you are, but it's also vise-versa. So consider your strengths before your weaknesses, is what I say."

Kieri was _very_ surprised to hear a person say that to her, let alone a person she hardly knows, at that. She looked up, straight into those almost glowing red and black eyes. She flinched, but still found the courage to speak to him. "…Thank you. I… I needed that." Satuxim merely smiled. "Oh, h-here we are!"

And, indeed, they are there. Kieri's house was almost startling in size; almost as big a Heaven's Grand Library, and that was positively _massive_. All of the outside of it was seemingly made of pure silver, with small indentations of sapphire to represent the Suizahn family's affiliation for water, and stood almost twenty feet tall. "Wow… are all Heaven's great elemental families given these kind homes?" "Y-Yes…. Yes, they are." Kieri then proceeded to knock on the door. Satuxim and Kieri stood around for a little while, until the door opened to reveal Kieri's father.

"Ah, Kieri. Welcome home. And… Who is this?" He asked, referring to Satuxim. "Ah, F-Father, t-this is Satuxim… A person I met at school. He said he doesn't have a home to return to, so… Can he stay here, at least for the time being?" Mr. Suizahn took a good, long look at Satuxim, then beck to Kieri. "… Alright. But we have to ask Mother first, okay?" Kieri nodded, and Satuxim bowed humbly, saying, "Satuxim Umbra, at your service, Mr. Suizahn." Satuxim, Kieri, and Mr. Suizahn then walked inside the gaping, massive doorway.

The inside of the Suizahn house was just as grand-looking as the outside; a blue, plush carpet was what they were currently walking on, and the walls and ceiling were made of the same stuff and design that was on the outside. Satuxim then noticed the stump on Mr. Suizahn's elbow should be. "… I see something happened to your arm. Could you elaborate, if you'd please…?"

"Ah, I see you took notice of that. Well, a water Demon attacked me a couple of years ago, and… well, this is what resulted." He then pointed to the stub to get his point across better. "I managed to kill him, but he nearly tore my arm off in the process. It was hanging on by just a tiny scrap of skin." Kieri flinched at this. "It wouldn't recover, even with magic, and I knew it. The doctors did, too, so we settled on amputating it, instead of wasting energy on trying to fix it."

Satuxim gazed at the stump in silence, and when his little story was done, he nodded a solemn nod. "… I see. Thank you for telling me your story. Sorry if that was a sensitive topic to talk about." Mr. Suizahn merely waved his hand. "No. If you want to know something, than you shall find out. I will tell you that right now. Oh, there's Mother!"

"H-Hello, M-Mother," Kieri said meekly. "Kieri! Where were you!? Why were you not here on time!? Who is _this_!?" She shouted, pointing to Satuxim. "Hello! I am Satuxim! How are you doing this-" "I don't care who you are! Why are you here!?" "Honey, calm down! He said that he doesn't have a home to return to at the moment, and he was wondering if he could stay here!" "_No_! He will _not_ stay here! Tell him to leave right _now_!" "Honey, he's a good person! Trust me! Kieri, Satuxim will sleep in your room," Kieri couldn't help but blush at this, "Me and Mother need to discuss this…" "O-Okay, Satuxim, follow me…" "Gladly!"


	4. Chapter 3: Working Things Out

_Author's Notes:_

Story is going quite nicely, if I do say so myself… Again, I appreciate reviewers and viewers alike. I need the attention to keep myself going with this story. Let's see if I can keep up with the weekly updates…

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners, and subsidiaries. I do not claim ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 3: Working Things Out

Kieri's room was fairly large, like most other rooms in the house; twice more that Kieri's height, at the very least, and more than wide enough to accommodate for the space taken up by the two large, plush blue beds in the room. "This room is fairly spacey," Satuxim said off-handedly, "it's almost like you have too _much_ room." "W-Well, my room is actually quite small when compared to Mother and Father's room…" Kieri said modestly. "Really? Well, I suppose I'll just have to take a look at it myself when I have the chance…" He said, a tad curious as to just how big the house was in it's entirety.

"Wait… you mentioned that you have a twin brother. Kazai, was it? Where is he now?" "He said that he would be staying over at Sanjulo's house. He's one of his friends, and the fire Angel was wary about you back in c-class…" "Ah, that one," he said, remembering, "I have a feeling that we aren't going to start getting along any time soon. Perhaps… _He's an enemy_…" Satuxim's eyes started glowing an even deeper, blood-red at this. His eyes then turned to Kieri, staring at her in a most creepy fashion.

"S-Satuxim?" He didn't respond. "_Satuxim_!" Kieri said, almost shouting. This knocked him out of his little trance. "AH! Woah, what just…?" He said, trailing off, and looked to Kieri for answers. "Y… Your eyes were glowing a deep red… And you were staring at me like… like you wanted to… to _hurt me_…" Kieri couldn't help but flinch at the thought. "I-I'm sorry! I don't know what got into me there… Something just stirred in me… Something _strange_…" he said, now contemplating over what just happened. "Ah, but don't worry. I'll see to it that it doesn't happen again. _Trust me_."

Those words shook Kieri up a little bit. "T-Trust you? As in a… a friend?" "Yes, you can look at it that way, if you wish it. I can read you like an open book. You are _very_ lonely. If you want someone to lean on, you can lean on me," he said, voice coated in sincerity. "…Thank you. Again, I… I needed that. It's getting kind of late. I think we should go to sleep…" "Ah, yes, I did lose track of the time. Yes, let's." The two then proceeded to turn the room's lights off, take their tabards off, and hop into bed. Kieri had almost no trouble going to sleep, but Satuxim had a hard time doing so. "_What was that?_" thought he. "_It was almost like… bloodlust. Something isn't right with me. I _know _something isn't right with me… But what_?" He went to sleep like this, those thoughts still swarming in his mind.

Bright and early the next morning (which isn't really saying a whole lot, considering that it never got that dark in Heaven), the tow rose and got their tabards back on. A few knocks on the door soon followed after that, and Mr. Suizahn walked into the room. "Hello, Kieri, Satuxim. Sleep you well?" "Fine, sir, yes," Satuxim replied. "Yes, Father, we slept fine," Kieri also replied. "Ah, good. Me and Mother discussed about Satuxim's stay here. We determined that, yes, Satuxim could stay here." Satuxim nodded at this, pleased with this answer. "_However_… If we find Satuxim doing _anything_ wrong in this house, he leaves _immediately_. _Understood_?" Mr. Suizahn said, intimidation crawling into his voice at the last part. "Yes, Mr. Suizahn," Satuxim replied submissively. "Good. Now, come along. Breakfast is ready, and I don't want the food to get cold." The three then walked back out into the expansive halls of the Suizahn house.

The kitchen of the house, like most of the other rooms, was very expansive; it had a bar with a few high chairs for sitting down and eating, as well as a good many kitchen utensils for… well, cooking. It also sported a fireplace-like oven for cooking the food, as well as a pool of cool water for keeping food… well, cold. At the moment, the Suizahn's and Satuxim were eating some fairly simple vegetable soup. "Mmm… This stuff is _delicious_! Who made this?' "_That would be me_." Mrs. Suizahn was still very cautious of Satuxim, and Satuxim very cautious of Mrs. Suizahn, even after his compliment. "Just hurry up and eat it, already. I don't want to look at you any more than I have to," she said warily. "Fine, fine… You really don't have to be like this, you know…" Mrs. Suizahn only frowned a deeper frown. "So… When do we have to go to school? I was never told that…" "In about ten minutes," Mr. Suizahn said. "So, please, start packing your things. Another day of school will start shortly." "Yes, Father," Kieri replied.

Kieri and Satuxim left the house, and went on to the road they took before, going at a leisurely pace, as the trek from the Suizahn house to school wasn't really that big. "So, what extra classes are you taking? I signed up for Lingo, and Combat Plus. You?" "I-I am also taking Lingo. But not Combat Plus. I'm no good at fighting…" Satuxim immediately caught on that she was brooding again. "_Hey_. What did I tell you yesterday? No angsting over being bad at combat. Play to your strengths, not your weaknesses." "Ah, yes… Have to remember that…" She said, cheering up a little bit. They then arrived at school, actually being one of the last to arrive. A crowd if students stood before them and the regal-looking gate, most either doing some last-minute studying, chatting, or simply loitering about "So, what now? Do we wait until the gates open?" "Y-Yes. It should open any second now, in fact…" And open it did. The students fluxed into the gap between the fences, surprisingly eager to get their school-day started. Satuxim and Kieri walked in last, Satuxim wondering what awaited him in his new school, and Kieri simply wondering what they would learn today…


	5. Chapter 4: An Unusual School Day

_Author's Notes: _

Ah, yes, more progress. And Spring Break is here! That meant more time to work on this, so hopefully it'll be just as good as the other chapters. Reviewers and views alike are still being appreciated!

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 4: An Unusual School Day

Surprisingly enough, no one took immediate notice to Satuxim's appearance. "Huh. I suppose most people heard that I won't harm anyone. News certainly spreads fast here, doesn't it?" he said, both surprised and pleased that most everyone heeded his words. "Y-Yes, I suppose it does…" Kieri said meekly, a little shy around the crowds-worth of people around her. The people were moving in an almost frenzied fashion to get to their classes on schedule; they expected Angels to be on time every single day. Kieri and Satuxim were having a little bit of hard time getting to class themselves due to all the students that were in their way at the moment.

They were in the same class they were in yesterday; Mrs. Jaine's Lingo Class. Upon the arriving of all of the students, class began. Jaine spoke: "Now, everybody, Lingo will be a fairly rigorous class. It's a fairly intricate system of letters, numbers, vowels, and many, _many_ other things. You will be expected to take all of this information in, remember it, and dish it back out in the form of assignments, quizzes, tests, and work to be sent home. We expect you to succeed, and you _will_." "Yes, Jaine," the entire class said, in almost perfect unison. "Good. Now, let class begin."

"Yes, good job, class. Now go enjoy study hall!" The teens almost immediately flooded from the class room, eager to get outside and do something besides listen to Mrs. Jaine's talking. Now, study halls in Heaven take place outside, but still inside school boundaries. It helped the kids who were actually studying focus better, and get help from other students if they so needed it. Speaking of which… "S-Satuxim? I was wondering if you could help me study…" "Ah, okay. Even if I don't know much, I'll help as much as I can. Now, what is it specifically you needed help with?" And then they studied. And studied. And studied. Until…

"Sister! There you are!" a voice said in the crowd of students. Then an Angel walked forward. He looked almost exactly like Kieri, appearance-wise. "Ah, hello, Brother," Kieri said pleasantly, waving her hand at him. "Kazai, I presume?" Satuxim said quizzically. Kazai couldn't help but gasp at his appearance; but luckily, he didn't faint. "… You look suspicious. I don't trust you," is all he said. "Meh. Think what you want. This is just how I look, is all," Satuxim said, both casually and seriously. Kazai stayed silent at this, then asked Kieri for her opinion. "What do you think of him, Sister?" "W-Well… He's a good person. Just trust me on this one, Kazai."

Kazai merely nodded, then turned back toward Satuxim. The two then engaged in a staring contest-like state, and after a few moments of this, Kazai left. "You know what I was surprised by? The fact that he never flinched, _especially_ at my eyes. He must be a pretty bold fellow…" "Y-Yes, bold can be a word used to describe him." The rest of the school day went by relatively normal. Except for Combat Plus.

A tall, slightly burly-looking earth Angel taught Combat Plus. He appeared to be somewhat old, judging by the small wrinkles on his face, but that didn't stop him from looking _very_ intimidating. "Today, class, we shall learn about blocking and countering. To block and counter is vital if you have no room to dodge an opponent's strike, or if you cannot see a safe opportunity to hit an enemy. Battle is not just random attacking, you must plan your strategy, as well as where and when to strike! Now, let's see here…. Newbie, you come up here as an example!"

He was, of course, referring to Satuxim when he said this. "Yes, sir!" he said with respect. Walking up to the somewhat-grand arena, he couldn't help but wonder how strong this guy is. "Sir, I've a request before we get started." "What is it, maggot? Would you like me to go easy? Well, _no_!" "Actually, I'm probably stronger than you think. Can engage in full-on combat? I practiced enough were I came from." "Do you have a death wish, maggot? Fine, then." The two Angels then walked onto their respective sides of the arena, bowed, drew their wooden practice swords, and began their fight.

**Author's Note: **

**I've got to pop in here. Battles in this story are turn-based, and in an RPG-like format. Satuxim's stats: 60 HP, 43 Strength + 5 Sword Might, 41 Defense, and 40 Speed. Now, let the first fight begin! **

_Satuxim attacks!_ He jumped forward and swung his sword in a simple horizontal motion, doing some decent damage. _Deals 30 damage! Rampant Teacher attacks! _He also jumped forward, attempting to go for an instant knock-out by hitting him hard on the head. _But Satuxim blocks and counters! Deals 14 damage! Satuxim attacks! Deals 28 Damage! _"Heh… Not bad, kid. But try _this_ on for size!" _Rampant_ _Teacher used Buff! Gains 14 Strength! Gains 16 Defense! _"And now to beat the living magic out of 'ya!" _Rampant_ _Teacher attacks! Deals 28 damage! Satuxim attacks! Deals 17 damage! Rampant Teacher Attacks! Deals 25 damage! Satuxim attacks! Critical Hit! Deals 46 damage! Felled Rampant Teacher! Satuxim wins! Grows to Level 2! Gains 12 HP! Gains 9 Strength! Gains 7 Defense! Gains 8 Speed! _

The Teacher was now on his knees. "Urgh… Humiliation…" Satuxim offered him his hand. "Come on. You're already down. No reason to beat 'ya up any further," he said pleasantly. The Teacher gladly took his hand, and bowed respectfully. "Good job. Didn't expect you to be that strong. You have earned my respect, good sir." "'S nothing." Everyone then gave a round of applause to Satuxim's surprise victory. "Is there, by any chance, a place here in Heaven that I can get better training? I'm beyond practice." "In fact, I know the perfect place for someone like you! There's an arena just north of here where Angels test their might against each other. If you want to give it a shot, go there, and tell 'em Jaike sent you!" "Thank you, sir." The bell then rang, signaling the end of the school day.


	6. Chapter 5: Comfort Issues

_Author's Notes: _

… Meh. I've got nothing to say here.

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 5: Comfort Issues

Satuxim decided that he could go to the arena tomorrow; he _did_ feel kinda tired after that fight with Jaike, after all… Upon returning to the Suizahn House, he knocked on the door twice, and was let in. "How was your day, Satuxim?" Mr. Suizahn greeted kindly. "Oh, really nothing special. I met you're son. A bit tension-filled, that meeting was. 'Proly 'cause of my appearance. I also got into a fight with a teacher, and _won_, but that was _entirely_ voluntary. I'm also going to the arena tomorrow. I was born a fighter, and I've never really seen the point of swinging your weapon at a practice target." "Wait… Who was this teacher that you beat?" he said quizzically. "Oh, he said his name was Jaike. What, is he important?"

"Actually, yes. Jaike is a veteran of the Great War a decade-and-a-half ago… He was a Seraph, but retired almost immediately after the fighting was done. To beat him is an impressive feat, even without his pendants on. And he said you should go to the Arena, correct? If he approves, than so do I. You can go tomorrow." "Well, if you say it's okay…" Satuxim then walked off to his room, hoping to get some sleep before he goes to the Arena tomorrow.

Upon walking into his room, he was greeted by the sight of Kieri and Kazai getting ready to go to bed. He then remembered that they are twins, so it's logical that they slept in the same room. He walked out immediately, sensing the awkwardness that would ensue. He went to Mr. Suizahn to answer his question; "So… where am _I_ supposed to sleep, then?" he said. "Well, luckily, we have a spare bedroom. It isn't exactly as comfortable as Kieri and Kazai's room, so you aren't going to be the comfiest person in the house. It still functions, though. So you'll have to make do. The room is down the hall on the second left." "I suppose I will, then. Thanks, anyways." Mr. Suizahn merely nodded.

"Wow, he wasn't kidding when he said this wasn't the best room in the house…" Indeed, this room looked pretty decrepit; there were several small chips in the wall, and it was stuffed almost to the brim with unused furniture. The room also happened to be coated in a thick layer of dust, and Satuxim sneezed a lot because of it. There _were_ lots of beds, though, so Satuxim had a lot of options, comfort-wise. "Now, which one…? Ah! There's a good one!" he exclaimed, pointing to a very plush-looking one in the corner. He walked over, brushed some of the dust off, took his tabard off, and went to sleep.

The next morning, Satuxim got up and put his tabard back on. It was covered in dust and grime, despite the fact that he brushed the stuff off of where he put it. "Siiigh… Gonna have to ask someone to wash this off, I suppose…" he said tiredly. Walking out of the room, he noticed Kieri walking around, getting her stuff together for school. "Hey, Kieri, can I request something of you?" "Y-Yes, what is it?" "I was wondering if you can use your water magic for a quick-fix on my shirt. It's all filthy because I slept in the spare bedroom. By Gaia's wings, it's _dirty_ in there!"

"W-Well, yes it is filthy. Maybe we actually _should_ try cleaning up a bit in there…" "Yes. Yes, you should. Anyway, could you spray a little water on this, please?" "Okay…" Kieri then shot a small stream of water from her finger, getting rid of most of the grime and dust the clothes had accumulated over-night. "Thanks for that. Anyway, I'm going to go to the Arena. Jaike, the Combat Plus teacher, recommended that I do so, as I'm apparently beyond a class' ability to teach without any sort of teaching to begin with. So, there's _that_." "Well… Okay, then. G-Good luck, I suppose…?" "Luck? _Hah_! I don't _need_ luck! It's pure skill here!" He said, with a bit of swagger in his voice. He then walked off and out of the house, heading to the north of the school as per Jaike's directions.

The Arena was simply a spectacle to look at it; like most of the houses and structures in Heaven, it was seemingly made of a pearl-like substance, with columns of it stretching from the ground all the way to it's top height; the entrance gate went up to a completely unnecessary height, as well. And speaking of gates… "I'd like to have a go in the arena." The receptionist, a middle-aged female wind Angel, then questioned him; "Urm… Sir, you look a tad young to be getting into these dangerous fights-" "Jaike sent me." "Ah… Jaike? Well, in that case, I suppose you could enter…" Satuxim happily nodded. "Now, these arenas are, more or less, places to test your skills; tournaments are held, and you'll have to emerge the victor of five separate battles to win, each one presumably being harder than the last. Your reward will be bragging rights, and a shiny, golden trophy, as well as 500 gold. Will you enter?" "Yes. And I do so hope I come out the victor here…"


	7. Chapter 6: The Arena I

_Author's Notes: _

… And again, I've got nothing to say here. Besides, of course, _**happy Easter, everyone!**_

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 6: The Arena I

Upon walking out of the gate and in to the arena, Satuxim was greeted by the sight of a simply massive crowd of Angels and deceased Medians around the Arena on an elevated stand. There were at least one thousand people there, quite possibly more. "_Welcome, ladies and gents, to the Coliseum of the Heavens! Round 1 shall commence shortly!"_ the announcer said, apparently making his voice louder than normal via magic. "Hello there, new contestant," an Angel said. "You seem lost. Would you like a look around?" "Actually, yes, I would," Satuxim said gratefully.

The guide Angel then showed him the Commons, a simple room with a few benches to rest on and wait for your turn in the Arena to commence. Speaking of waiting, there were a few people doing so. Some were nervous, others eager, and a few just plain excited. "Hey. You the new kid?" A Human spoke. "Yes, that I am. Why do you ask?" "Oh, no reason, really. Just be prepared to lose. The people here ain't gonna take it easy on a kid like you." Satuxim glanced warily at him, then sat down on a nearby bench, waiting for his turn to fight.

A good ten minutes later, he was called upon by another Angel. "Satuxim Umbra, you are up to fight!" Satuxim got up as he was asked, and left the waiting room and into the Arena for his first battle. "_Welcome, ladies and gents, to Round 1, Battle 6! In the red corner, we have the newcomer, Satuxim Umbra!_" The crowd then cheered. "_And in the blue corner, Chorsan Kino!_" They cheered for him, as well. "_Fighters_! _Into your respective zones_!" The announcer said, referring to the circle, which had two sides; a red side and a blue side, of course.

The Angel he was facing appeared to be no fighter at all; scrawny, short, and practically cowering in fright, even if he was older than Satuxim. The clothes he wore implied that he was a wind Angel. "_Fighters_! _Are you ready to rumble_!?" "Meh. I suppose so," Satuxim said casually, a small grin plastered onto his face. "A-Ah… Y-Yes…" Chorsan said shakily. "_Into your postions, then!" _Satuxim got onto the red side of the circle, while Chorsan walked into the blue side. "_Battle 1_! _Start_!" And so began the first Arena Battle for Satuxim.

_Chorsan appeared_! "Oh, go on, you can have the first attack," Satuxim said with a mix of kindness and cockiness. _Chorsan attacks! Deals 6 damage! _"Oh, come on! Is that the best you've got? Let me show you how it's done…" Satuxim said, a little bit arrogantly, eyes momentarily flashing a brighter red. S_atuxim attacks! Critical hit! Deals 94 damage! _"Ah! P-Please… Stop…" Chorsan said, almost in his knees in pain. "Oh, what's wrong? Did you expect to come in here not taking any damage yourself!? _Hah!_ What a joke!" _Satuxim attacks! Deals 56 damage! Defeated Chorsan!_

Chorsan, very nearly unconscious, lied on the floor, practically crying in pain. The crowd stayed silent, tense at what could happen next. Satuxim walked forward, knelt down, and said a few words. "Now, then, I could tell you were no fighter back there. Care to explain why you're here in the first place?" Chorsan merely stayed silent for a little bit, then spoke up, his voice muffled by the floor. "… Mother forced me. She thought I was ready to win… I knew I wasn't…" Satuxim understood immediately.

"Ah, I see. Over-expectant mother. Just like someone I know…" he said, glancing off into the audience meaningfully. "Now, come on," Satuxim said, his hand outstretched, "let's 'getcha patched up." Chorsan finally glanced up from the stone floor, hesitated, then took Satuxim's hand. Satuxim smiled, and pulled him up, moving him along into the waiting room. The crowd cheered after them, pleased by Satuxim's unexpected chivalry after beating Chorsan almost mercilessly. After sitting Chorsan down onto one of the benches, Satuxim waited for the results of the first round in the waiting room.

"_Ladies and gentlemen!_ _Now that Round 1 is over, we would like to show everyone the current tournament brackets!_" the announcer shouted over his magical intercom. The brackets then appeared over a massive sheet of paper in front of the announcer's box. The bracket showed, of course, Satuxim, as he won the first round, going against another opponent. "'Musta been _very_ tedious to make, especially with that short time span," said Satuxim. Said opponent was, judging by a rough bust shot of him, was another young Angel, who's name was Fea. What really drew his attention, however, was another contestant who made it to Round 2; Kazai.

"Hm. Wonder how much of a challenge he'll put up, if I make it that far…" Satuxim said, rather on the curious side. Another challenger walked up to him, saying, "Oi, that one's been here for a good two years. He's won almost every tournament he's been in. If you go against him, prepare to lose, is what I say." The contestant then walked away, almost enigmatically. "Huh. A strange one, that one is…" he said. Satuxim waited a few minutes, wondering how much of a fight the next opponent might put up. "_Satuxim Umbra! You are up!_" The announcer said over the intercom. Getting out of his bench, Satuxim walked back out into the arena, pretty eager for his next fight…


	8. Chapter 7: The Arena II

_Author's Notes:_

Hmm… We're into fourth quarter at school, now, and the workload has seriously picked up. So, basically, sorry if there are any late chapters in the next couple of months. And if there are any, then don't be surprised, as that is most likely the cause for them.

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 7: The Arena II

Upon walking out into the arena, Satuxim was greeted by the sight of Fea. Fea himself wasn't anything _too_ special. Just a wind Angel, looking to be only just older than him. "_In the red corner, Satuxim Umbra!" _The crowd sent out cheers, like before._ "And in the blue corner, Fea Rie!"_ The crowd cheered for him also, curious as to who would win this fight."_Contestants! Are you ready?_" "Definitely," Satuxim replied confidently. "Yep," Fea replied a bit casually. "_Fighters! Into your respective zones!_" And walked into their respective zones they did. "_Battle 2! Start!_"

_Fea appeared! _"So… You 'wanna attack first?" Satuxim said casually. "Oh, why not? Might as well…" _Fea attacks! Deals 17 damage! _"Well, better than Chorsan, at the very least…" _Satuxim attacks! Deals 20 damage! Fea casts Whirlwind!_ Out if seemingly no where, a gust of wind in the shape of a couple tornadoes appeared, cutting and scathing Satuxim. _Deals 23 damage! _"Oh, so you 'wanna play _that_ game, hmm? Well, _fine!_ See how _you_ like it!" _Satuxim casts Darkness!_ A spiky ball, seemingly made of shadows, was shot from his hand with no small amount of speed, drilling into it's target. _Deals 26 damage! _Fea grimaced for a moment, than said, "Oh, dark magic? You're no ordinary Angel, are you?" "Nope, I'm afraid not. But I don't think that this is the time for explanation, now is it?" "Agreed."

_Fea attacks! Deals 14 damage! Satuxim attacks! Deals 19 damage! _By this point, both Satuxim and Fea were exhausted. It came down to this last trade of blows to see who would win. The crowd was filled with suspense, eager to see who would emerge the victor. _Fea attacks! Deals 16 damage! Satuxim attacks! Critical hit! Deals 52 damage! Defeated Fea! _

Like with Chorsan, Satuxim walked up to the near unconscious Fea and offered him his hand. "Welp, that was a good fight. What say we get you to the nearest healer?" Fea gratefully took his hand. "That it was. And yes, I do think a good healing is what'll fix me up…" Satuxim carried him out of the arena, the crowd cheering out to them like with Chorsan. "Ahh… Thanks for that. Feels fore all over, my body does…" Fea said upon getting healed by the local medic. "Well, do I. 'Ya put up one bloody heck of a fight." "That I did. I would do no less. Anyway, I think I should get home. Parents are waiting, you know." "Well, go on, then. Get!" And get Fea did, leaving Satuxim alone in the waiting room.

A good many minutes went by, the room slowly filling up, as he was the first battle in Round 2. After all of the remaining contestants filled in, the updated brackets were shown. And, lo and behold, in his third fight, Jaine would be his opponent. Satuxim couldn't help but gawk. "Wh… Wha? Since when-" "Since the beginning," a female voice said, cutting him off. Said female voice belonged to Jaine, who was pretty amused by Satuxim's amount of surprise. "You probably didn't even look at the entire bracket. Maybe you were just caught up in your imagination fighting against Kazai."

"Umm… Maybe? But I didn't really take you for the fighting type." "Oh, I just recently started partaking on these arena battles. I actually found them kind of fun, even if I always got beat near the end." "Well, sorry for your losses. But I don't intend to take it easy on you just because you're a woman, even one older than me." "I didn't expect you take it easy on me in the first place. Either way, we're gonna have to fight each other in the next ten minutes, and I don't intend to lose." "Neither do I."

After a brief pause, Satuxim asked a question; "So… what do you want to talk about in the mean time?" "… I don't know. Maybe how you grew up-?" "_No._" Satuxim said firmly. "It's… a sensitive thing to talk about, to be honest. I will way this, though; it's a tad tragic, and I can guarantee you'd be surprised." "… Okay then," Jaine said apologetically. "What do _you_ say we talk about, then?" "Hmmm… Maybe Medians? I never really knew too much about them to begin with, and I still don't." "Well, Satuxim, surely you know that Gaia, Syndel (Damn him  
!), and Death created them?" Well, yeah, I do know _that_ much. I'm not stupid." "Well, that's good. Anyways-" "_Satuxim and Jaine! You are up!_" the announcer said over his magical intercom once again. "Ah, well, I suppose we'll have to continue this miniature history lesson after our little fight. Shall we go?" "Yes. Yes, we shall." Jaine and Satuxim then got up, and walked out into the arena once again, each thirsting for a victory.

"_Ladies and gentlemen! More than half of our contestants have fallen! From round 3 and onwards, you can expect even more exciting fights than before!_" The audience cheered at this, the announcer's words getting them even more riled up than before._ "In the red corner, Satuxim Umbra!_" The announcer said, the crowd cheering for him. Satuxim merely waved pleasantly. "_And in the blue corner, Jaine Workus!_" The crowd also cheered for her, and she waved, also. "_Contestants, are you ready?_" "Yes." Satuxim said simply. "Most certainly," Jaine said, confident that she could win this fight. "_Fighters! Into your respective zones!_" They walked onto their side of the circle, and… "_Battle 3, start!_"


	9. Chapter 8: The Arena III

_Author's Notes:_

Yeah… Sorry about the skipped weekly upload. To make up for that, however, I settled on making this chapter more than twice as long as usual! Equivalent exchange, no? So, my apologies, and you're welcome, respectively.

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 8: The Arena III

_Jaine appeared!_ "You can have the first attack," Jaine said with a grin. "If you insist…" _Satuxim casts darkness! Deals 43 damage! Jaine attacks! Deals 19 damage! Satuxim attacks! Deals 40 damage! Jaine casts Wilderwind!_ A slightly larger version of the Whirlwind spell appeared, twisting and turning into Satuxim, dealing a tad bigger amount of damage than the previously mentioned attack._ Deals 37 damage! Satuxim casts Darkness! Deals 38 damage! Jaine attacks! Deals 15 damage!_ "Do you yield, Satuxim?" Jaine said, thinking he's had enough, though she looked pretty exhausted herself. "No… No! Not yet!" Satuxim said, persistently still standing, almost desperately wanting to win this fight.

Suddenly, something clicked in Satuxim's head. Something… strange. He felt a sudden surge of power filling him, and a small trickle of knowledge enter his mind; _Satuxim learned Nosferatu! _"Hah. Well, that's new, I suppose." "Satuxim? What just-" _Satuxim casts Nosferatu! _Satuxim pointed a finger at Jaine. A speedy burst of shadows them burst from it, hitting Jaine in the chest and sapping her energy. _Critical hit! Deals 52 damage! Heals 26 HP!_ "… Happened… Urgh…" "HP recovery? Well, that's convenient!" Jaine then flopped down to the floor, like all of the others, very nearly unconsciousness. _Felled Jaine!_ _Satuxim grew to Level 3! Gains 13 HP! Gains 12 Strength! Gains 9 Defense! Gains 10 Speed!_

Jaine managed to get back on her knees, panting heavily, bruises all over her. Satuxim walked up to her, and held out his hand. "Good fight. No, come on. Let's get you to the waiting room." Jaine took his hand, grateful for his politeness. "_Satuxim wins! He will go on to the semi-finals!_" The crown cheered, louder than the last two rounds. The two combatants then walked out of the arena into the commons again, Jaine leaning on Satuxim's shoulder.

"Welp… You passed," Jaine said, sounding pleased. "Wh- Passed? What d'ya mean, _passed?_" "That was a test from Jaike. He wanted to know how far you would go with this, even wanting to see if you had passion enough to win to beat someone you know. And, as it so turned out, you did. So, as a reward, you get no practice for the rest of the year, as, supposedly, you're already beyond that." Satuxim couldn't help but smile at this. "Now, for extra credit, go win that tournament! You do that, we'll give you… a surprise, shall we say?" "Alright. I had no idea what was going on, and I still had the intention of winning this. So, really, nothing's changed." "Good. Oh, and also, Jaike told me to give this to you." She handed him a small, glass bottle, with a wooden cork on the top to keep the contents inside, and safe.

_Satuxim got a Fairy in a Bottle! It can be used for carrying all sorts of things when emptied!_ Said fairy was a girl, and looked like a butterfly, with a tint of pink on her wings and hair, which was fairly smooth. She simply sat in a corner, a small pout on her face, looked very, _very_ bored. "… Why did you give me a fairy? Heck, why is it in a bottle?" "Oh, you'll see. It's really a 'just-in-case' scenario." "_Satuxim! You are up!"_ "Well, that round was took faster than usual." Satuxim said casually. "Probably a stronger fighter than usual. Be prepared for him to give you a hassle!" Jaine said enthusiastically. "Yeah, however ready I can be for a surprise…" he said as he walked out. He neglected to look at the brackets, however, which saw a water Angel going against a certain teacher that he just beat yesterday…

Satuxim walked out into the arena once again, this time being greeted by… no one? "Erm…" Satuxim said awkwardly. As soon as he said that, however, a blonde human walked out, with some thick, bright blue, and evidently heavy armor on. This armor bended all over the place, placing in some fancy designs etched on to it. Judging by facial appearance, Satuxim could tell he was a male, and he wielded a rather long spear, which was also blue. Panting heavily, he said, "Whew… Sorry I'm late! Ended tripping a lot of times, lost my armor for a moment, didn't quite hear the announcer, _and_ ended up getting distracted multiple times by friends."

Satuxim merely sweat-dropped, then shrugged. "Nah, it's okay. You were only late by a couple seconds." "Oh, good. Thought the match would've been dropped. Anyways, shall we get started?" "Yes, gladly." "_Fighters! Are you ready!?_" "Yep." "Uh-huh." "_Into your positions!_" "_In the red corner, Satuxim Umbra!"_ He waved to the crowd again. "_And in the blue corner, Senja Fen!"_ He waved, then bowed, also. They walked their respective sides of the circle, both itching for their fight to begin… "_Start!"_

_Senja appeared!_ "Who goes first?" Satuxim asked. "'Wanna rock-paper-scissors for it?" "Oh, why not?" They did the usual raise-fist-three-times thing, and the result was Satuxim winning, as he got paper, and got rock. "Right then." _Satuxim attacks! Deals 17 damage! _"Well, that's some tough-looking armor you got on you. Doing it's job great, I see." "Indeed it does. Now, how about this!" _Senja attacks! Deals 49 damage! _"Sure, that armor's good for physical attacks, but how about _magical ones?"_ Satuxim said with a smug grin. Senja's face flashed with worry for a moment, then he braced himself for the incoming attack. _Satuxim casts Nosferatu! Deals 44 damage! Heals 22 HP! Senja attacks! Deals 42 damage! Satuxim casts Nosferatu! Deals 46 damage! Heals 23 HP! Senja attacks! Deals 39 damage! Satuxim casts Darkness! Deals 37 damage! _Senja was then knocked off his feet from that attack, and landed on his back, thankfully being shielded from the impact of the fall from his armor. He lay there, thoroughly exhausted, and thus, defeated. _Felled Senja! _

"Owowowow… That hurt… Hey, Satuxim, could you come help me with this?" Senja said, embarrassed both by the fact that he was beaten, and he's stuck there, unable to get up, like a turtle on a flipped shell. "Yea, just give me a moment…" Satuxim said, also a tad exhausted despite all the Nosferatu's he used. After that moment passed, he walked over to him, holding his hand out. "Yeah… That isn't going to work. Pretty sure you can't lift me with one hand…" "Okay, then how about this?" he said, trying to use both of his hands to lift him up. After a lot of heaving and hoe'ing, he managed to get Senja back on his feet. "Phew… Thanks for that…" he said. "No problem," Satuxim answered back. "_Satuxim has won! He will now face Kazai Suizahn in the final round for their chance at glory!"_ They both then walked out of the arena, wanting to get some rest after the challenge that they presented each other with, the crowd cheering once again behind them.

"… Aaaaaand why am I not surprised that I'm fighting him…" said Satuxim, upon sitting down and hearing the previous announcement. "Oh, Kazai? Yeah, I've lost to 'im a couple times. I keep on forgetting that this armor doesn't protect worth a damn against magic. Might want to see if I can enhance it with some spells…" "Well, good idea, at the very least. Now, on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate Kazai in terms of skill?" Senja shrugged. "Oh, I'd say at least a nine. You'll be surprised, Satuxim, when you find yourself face-down on the ground because of him. I'm just telling you that right now." "Yes, you would know, Senja." Kazai apparently found this to be the perfect moment to walked in on their conversation. "Ah… Kazai. Surprised to see you here!" Satuxim said pleasantly.

"And it's an even bigger surprise to see _you_ here, Satuxim. Never imagine that I'd be fighting a stranger that appeared at our doorstep a couple days ago." "Well, back at you, 'cept without the doorstep part." "Heh. Just don't be surprised when I win. I will show no mercy until I find you defeated." "Back at you, again." "Urm… Well, I guess I'll be leaving now…?" Senja said awkwardly. "Oh, yes, Senja forgot you were there for a moment. Yes, please do." Senja nodded, then walked out the door, armor clanging as he went.

"Hm. We'll see who comes out the victor, I suppose," Kazai said, after Senja walked out the door. The two then sat on the benches and waited around for a couple of minutes, before Kazai said, "So… did you know Jaike fought me in the previous round?" "Really, now? Did he have any of his pendants on?" "Only one, his Star." "Okay, because I fought him just yesterday without any of his pendants, and came out the victor. I'd imagine I wouldn't be able to beat him if he had two or three of them on." "Same here." The announcer then que'd them up via his intercom again; "_Final contestants! Out to the arena!"_ Satuxim and Kazai faced each other, nodded in mutual respect, then walked out.

They walked out into the center of the arena once again, then the announcer said, "_The final battle is upon us! In the red corner, Satuxim Umbra! And in the blue corner we have 23-time champion, Kazai Suizahn!"_ They both waved, and the crowd cheered, eager to see who would come out on top once again. After the waving was done, Kazai and Satuxim bowed politely to each other, and the final tournament battle began.

**Hold on a moment!**

**If you want to give this battle some greater effect, copy and paste this URL to another window: watch?v=QAJ7OaDErRk Set it on a loop, if you can! Now, to the battle!**

_Kazai appeared! _No words needed to be said this time, and Satuxim struck first. _Satuxim attacks! Deals 37 damage! Kazai attacks! Deals 35 damage! Satuxim casts Nosferatu! Deals 38 damage! Heals 19 HP! Kazai casts Torrent! _Kazai put his hands together, and a large amount of water shot out at high pressure, dealing moderate damage. _Deals 43 damage! Satuxim casts Darkness! Critical hit! Deals 67 damage! Kazai attacks! Deals 19 damage! _"Do you yield?" Kazai asked. "_No!_" _Satuxim attacks! Deals 37 damage! _"Well, you brought this upon yourself for not giving up…" _Kazai attacks! Critical hit! Deals 87 damage!_ Satuxim finally met his match; he was knocked off his feet, then landed on the ground, very much exhausted, fading in and out of unconsciousness. "Argh… Where did I do wrong…" However, a certain fairy in a bottle had other plans…

The fairy took this moment to get the cork off, as no one could stop her, and flew over to Satuxim. She sprayed some pink, glittery dust on him, poked him on the nose with one of her fingers, then flew off. All of a sudden, Satuxim was back on his feet, energized one again! "Phew… Didn't know fairies could do that. Now I knew what she meant by 'Just in case'…" Kazai merely stood there and gawked. "_Fairies are indeed allowed, if you can get your hands on one!_" The announcer said, just to clarify that that wasn't cheating. That knocked Kazai out of his little reverie, and back into the fight. _Satuxim was revived! Satuxim casts Nosferatu! Deals 40 damage! Heals 20 HP! Kazai casts Torrent! Deals 38 damage! Satuxim casts Darkness! Deals 39 damage! Kazai attacks! Deals 35 damage! Satuxim attacks! Critical hit! Deals 73 damage! _And finally, after all those blows he took, Kazai was finally knocked off his feet, and lay on the ground, defeated, just like Satuxim was a moment ago. _Felled Kazai! Grew to Level 4! Gains 15 HP! Gains 12 Strength! Gains 9 Defense! Gains 11 Speed!_

"_And Satuxim is the winner, breaking Kazai's 23-win streak! Satuxim! Come up to claim your trophy and prizes!"_ "Hold on a moment." Satuxim said. He walked over to Kazai, and held his hand out. "Good fight, good fight. Now come on, let me help you with that…" Kazai took his hand, stood up, and, looking down on the ground warily, walked away on his own without uttering a word. Satuxim glanced back at him, a tad worried. Then he merely shrugged, and walked over to a gilded stand that, he swore, was not there a moment ago…

He was then bestowed a trophy by the announcer, who turned out to be an elderly-looking earth Angel. The trophy was made out of what appeared to be solid gold, with the exception of the inside of the bowl itself, which was silver, and filled with the 500 gold the entry woman promised him. Names were engraved upon plate on the bottom, and he saw the name 'Kazai Suizahn' fade out to be replaced by 'Satuxim Umbra'. He then proudly held the trophy up, happy and mildly surprised that he managed to win all of his battles. He wondered where that fairy that helped him went, however…


	10. Chapter 9: After the Arena

_Author's Notes:_

So, the weather's been terrible here in Iowa. Rainy days, and miniature flash-floods, almost… Outside of the weather, however, It's beginning to look up, as Summer is very nearly here! I dearly hope that I can get back to wearing t-shirts soon…

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 9: After the Arena

So, after that long and very nearly grueling journey through the arena, Satuxim went back to his (temporary) home. There, he was greeted by the sight of Mr. Suizahn at the door, looking a bit proud. "Mr. Suizahn," Satuxim greeted formally. "Satuxim. I heard you beat my son in a fight?" he questioned. "Well, yeah. With the help of a fairy, I did manage to win. But it was close, let me tell you…" "Yes. I'll tell you right now, that's quite an achievement, be it with outside help or not." He glanced toward the trophy in Satuxim's hand. "That trophy was once my boy's. But now, it's yours, along with the gold inside. You've earned it." Mr. Suizahn grinned proudly. Satuxim couldn't help but smile also, very pleased at his foster-father's facial expression.

"Aw, it's nothing. But… Aren't you at least a small bit worried about your son?" he asked, genuinely corious. "No. He's a strong one. He'll easily pull through his injuries. He's suffered worse." "Okay, then." They both then walked into the door, Satuxim wanting to get something to eat, and rest after that. The supper that was served to them this time was meat; cooked very well, it would seem. Satuxim hadn't had meat in a fairly long time period, and was eager to gorge himself upon it. After that was done, Satuxim went to the hall that led to his make-shift bedroom, but was stopped by Kieri. "… Satuxim? Can you come to my room?" "Well, if you want." They both then went to twins' room.

Inside was Kazai on his bed, bruises all over his body. Satuxim flinched at seeing him, a tad surprised that he actually inflicted that much bodily harm on him. "Ouch. You sure you okay, Kazai?" "… I'm fine," he replied, sounding a bit frustrated. "If you think so… Anyway, Kieri, what did you want with me?" "... W-Well, I was wondering if you could tell us more about yourself… Like, your past in Hell…" "… Very well. I… fell that I trust you enough with this. You should know, too, Kazai." He nodded at this. "Okay. So, my childhood… was a tragic one." I grew up not knowing my parents. I was raised by a family of surprisingly loving Demons while there. For all that I can remember, I loved them both dearly, like they were actually my mother and father. But then, they were both killed by a group of other Demons upon hearing they were housing an Angel…" Satuxim choked up at this, and Kieri walked over to comfort him, putting a consoling hand on his shoulder. "Ah… Thanks… Just… Just give me a moment…"

After a few seconds and sobs, he continued; "These Demons took me away, and began… experimenting with me. They wanted to see what would happen if an Angel were to be infused with darkness…" Satuxim then held his hands out to his sides. "I am the result. The process itself succeeded, granting me a mastery over dark magic, but they failed to change my base personality, which is actually what they intended to do. They tried time and time again, but it simply wouldn't happen; I suppose my will was simply too strong to be swayed. I eventually managed to find a way out, and escape Hell. I then inhabited the Ring of the Slightly Damned, an area outside of Hell, to avoid being captured again. It was like that for years; five, last I counted. Eventually, however, I saw a beam of bright light shoot into the sky, and I immediately knew; 'That is my way out!'"

He paused for a second, than continued. "I spent many months planning my escape. It finally happened; while the Demons were off there watch, I ran with all of the power I had in me; by the time they figured out, I was already ascending; they couldn't do anything about it, and I ended up in Heaven. Thus… Here I am."Kieri and Kazai looked at Satuxim, then Kieri said, "… I'm… sorry, Satuxim… that must have been hard…" "It was. So many ended up dying because of me…" He then laughed bitterly, his red eyes seemingly glowing brighter than they were before. "I suppose that would make me a _murderer_…"

"Satuxim! That wasn't your fault! It was the Demon's!" Kieri said, flinching herself as she said it. "You don't need to lie to me. I know its two." Satuxim then got up. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" He then left to his make-shift bedroom. Kieri looked at him as he left, very worried for his mental – and especially emotional - well-being. Satuxim walked back to his room, thinking some depressing thoughts. He soon got over them, however, as he remembered what he told Kieri; "_No angsting!_" This helped him get over it somewhat, be he still felt pretty sad over his dead parents, be they biological or adoptive. He went to sleep this way, these thoughts still plaguing his mind…


	11. Chapter 10: Another Unusual School Day

_Author's Notes:_

Well, the rain's finally stopped, but _it's started again snowing instead_. _It's the beginning of freakin' May_. _Are. You. Kidding. Me_. Oh, yeah, and double-digit chapters, too, as well as an early update! But other than that, back to saying nothing of notable importance here…

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 10: Another Unusual School Day

Satuxim saw his parents, standing there, waving at him, ushering him towards him… but they were featureless, mere blurs for faces. Satuxim screamed in terror, and bolted upright out of his bed. '_That dream again…_' he thought, sweating heavily. He got of bed and put his jet-black tabard back on, even still shaking because of that nightmare. He walked out of the room, on his way to pack his things, when he spotted Kieri, also walking around, getting her things together. "Hey, Kieri." He said tiredly. "Hello, Satuxim. Are you all right?" she asked, looking a tad concerned, both over his tired looks, and unusually pale skin (Which is saying quite a lot, considering an Angel's skin is already quite pale to begin with!) "Yes… Just tired. How about you?" Just as he said that, a faint growling was heard. Kieri blushed a little, saying, "Oh… Just a little hungry… Eating meat just makes me sick, so I didn't eat last night, is all…" "Well, I suppose it's a good thing that the school provides breakfast, huh?" "Yes… Yes, it is…" The two then walked out of the door, on their way to school.

Kazai was already at the gates, waiting for the both of them. "Sister. Satuxim." He nodded at them both. They then walked into the gates, going to their day's first classes; conveniently, Satuxim and Kieri shared Lingo. They sat down, and class began. "Okay, class, back to your assignments!" Jaine said. Like Kazai, she had bruises and bandages all over her, and Satuxim glanced at her worriedly, though he didn't say anything. The project that Jaine was talking about was a fairly simple translation from Angelic to Lingo. A few sentences in Lingo were wrote on it, and two people were supposed to translate it together, one doing the first half, and the other doing the second half. Satuxim and Kieri were both blowing through it fairly fast, more so Kieri than Satuxim, however.

"Gaia, how do you do this so fast?" Satuxim asked, a tad shocked at her skills in Lingo. "Well, I suppose I have some _slight_ proficiency in this…" Satuxim merely shook his head at her modesty. "_Slight_? Try putting in _great_ instead!" Kieir couldn't help but blush at his compliment. "I-It's nothing, really…" "Try and put yourself down all you want, it doesn't change the fact that you're good at this!" They bantered on like this long after they realized they were finished. Jaine then walked over and grinned, both at their pseudo-argument, and the fact that they actually translated it perfectly. "Hey, you two. I see you are done?" They both glanced up at Jaine's smiling face, and looked down on their paper, finally realizing that they were finished. "Oh, erm… Well, yeah, we're done…" Satuxim stuttered. "Good. Than can I have that?" she asked, referring to the paper." "Sure." Satuxim handed it to her, and she walked away.

"I think we did pretty good on that, don't you think?" Satuxim asked Kieri. "Yes… I suppose we _did_ do a well…" Jaine then walked back to them both a couple of minutes later, and handed the paper back to them. "Good news! You both got a perfect!" They both nodded, pleased. "You two got done early, so you are now free to do what you want." Jaine then walked off again to go supervise more students. "So… What do you want to do now?" Satuxim inquired. "Hmm… I do not know… How about we check up on Kazai? I heard that he is training out in the courtyard…" "Oh, why not?" They then got up and walked out of class, closing the door behind them.

Kazai was out in the courtyard, like Kieri said, fiercely swinging his practice sword, almost like he was venting some unknown anger. "Hey, Kazai. Might I ask what you are doing?" Satuxim asked. "I… need… to better myself!" he said between swings, sounding a tad frustrated. "You damaged my pride… so I'm going to fix it!" He then swung around, staring at Satuxim strongly, sweat dripping off his forehead. "When I get better… we're going to have a rematch… and I'm going to be the victor!" Satuxim merely shrugged. "Okay, I'm going to say this right now; I would _not_ have beaten you without that fairy. So, if you fought me right now, I would probably lose."

"_It doesn't matter! _I will not allow myself to be shamed like this…" Satuxim shook his head, and walked away, leaving the twins alone outside. "… Kazai, You don't need to hold grudges like this…" "I'm not holding a grudge," he said a little stubbornly, "I just want to fix my pride." "They are the same thing. Please, just forgive and forget." She said, walking away to join Satuxim again. Kazai merely shook his head after she left, resuming his practice, muttering a curse under his breath.

After the school day was done and over with, Kieri and Satuxim walked back over to the house. Dinner was ready as soon as they got there, and they started eating almost immediately. Mr. Suizahn eventually noticed that Kazai wasn't there, so he asked, "Where is Kazai?" "Oh, he's 'proly still as school, practicing. Something about wanting to get his pride back…" "Well, he _is_ striving to be a warrior of this family-" Mr. Suizahn raised his chin proudly upon saying this," and, as his pride is wounded, he wants to avenge himself." "Warrior's pride. Hmph. It's gotten plenty of people killed before. I really think that it's just a load of bullocks." He said as he got up, putting the dishes away, and heading off to his bedroom, wanting to get some sleep, even if he would have that nightmare again…


	12. Chapter 11: Family Thoughts

_Author's Notes:_

Oh, and another early update four you guys! I don't know what's gotten in to me lately, what with this typing frenzy and all...

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 11: Family Thoughts

Two Demons, one male and the other female, were holding their arms out to Satuxim, almost as if welcoming him, wanting to show him that not all of their kind was evil; however, they disappeared into mist as soon as he started to walk toward them, reforming into different Demons. This time, however, _they_ walked toward _him_, glaring at him menacingly. As soon as he figured out that they were coming for him, he attempted to run away, only to be surrounded by more of them; he screeched, hands grabbing him, dragging him down into oblivion…

Just like the previous day, Satuxim sprang up out of sleep in a sweaty, teary mess. He put his hands on his face, and he sobbed a couple of times. He really couldn't do anything about it; he missed both of his families, even if he couldn't remember his first, biological one. It took some time to compose himself, but he eventually did, and got up out of bed, putting his tabard on in the process. He walked out to get his school-related items again, encountering Kieri yet another time along the way. "Hey, Kieri…" he said drearily. "Satuxim? Are you sure you're all right?" she asked again, growing evebnmore concerned than yesterday. "… Okay, fine… I'm not…" he gave in, sitting down in a nearby chair.

"I've been having these… terrible dreams lately… dreams about my dead parents… about my captors… even about how _horridly_ they treated me…" He sobbed a couple of times, letting out a morbid sigh after that. "It's just… I can't seem to stop having these nightmares lately… They simply just won't stop happening…" Kieri put a comforting hand on Satuxim's shoulder, and then pulled him into a hug. Satuxim sobbed a few times, and returned the hug, grateful for the comfort. After a little while like this, Satuxim let go, and got up. "… Thanks. Like you said, I've needed that for a while now…" She simply nodded, grabbing her things and going out the door. Satuxim did so also, knowing that his nightmares would probably go away if this comfort kept up…

When Kieri and Satuxim got to their Lingo class, it had just started. Satuxim sweat-dropped, sliently mouthing an apology to Kieri for wasting her time. She waved it off, not needing it. They sat down in their seats, and the class continued like normal, as it paused for a little bit for them to sit down. After that was done, they walked out, more Lingo words embedded in their heads than yesterday. The other classes went on like normal, until Satuxim was called up to the office, as Jaike wanted to see him for some reason. Satuxim stopped in like requested between classes, and sat down across from Jaike. He said, "Satuxim. I think I 'wanna rematch against you."

"But I already-" he paused for a second, then resumed; "… alright, how many pendants?" "Two. I already know you wouldn't be able to beat me at full power." "Well, I will concede, that _is_ true… All right, when and where?" "The Arena, when the battles there are done. You'll get a certain… oh, let's say,_ reward_ for beating me. It's 'a be a surprise!" "I don't really see any reason why not. Very well then, I accept your challenge!" "Glad to hear it!" They both then walked out, Jaike needing to get back to teaching his class, and Satuxim needing to bet back to being taught. After the school day was done, Satuxim went home for a quick break before his match against Jaike. Sitting down, he took a quick sip from a bottled water, and ate a small snack. He relayed to Mr. Suizahn where he was going before heading out to the arena again, hopeful that he could win, and wondering what this reward could be…

The arena was completely empty, save for the two Angels inside, getting ready to fight each other. Satuxim saw that he was equipped with the Moon and Star pendants, and not the Sun pendant. After a few stretching exercises, the tow faced each other, drawing their practice swords in the process. "Right then. 'Ya ready to go?" Jaike asked. "I'd bet more than you are!" he replied. "Oh, getting rude, are we? I suppose that I'll just have to show you who's the boss here…"

_Jaike appeared!_ "I call 'dibs in first move!" _Satuxim attacks! Deals 28 damage! Jaike casts Quake! Deals 39 damage! Satuxim casts Nosferatu! Deals 35 damage! Heals 17 HP! Jaike attacks! Deals 42 damage! Satuxim attacks! Critical Hit! Deals 54 damage! Jaike casts Quake! Critical hit! Deals 76 damage! _Satuxim flopped down on the floor, thoroughly defeated, with no fairy to save him this time. "Ow… Guess I was… right…" _Satuxim was defeated!_

Jaike walked up to him holding his hand out to the very, very exhausted Satuxim. "Heh. Guess it's my turn to be the nice guy, here." Satuxim took the hand, after a couple of seconds. "Well… I said earlier to Kazai neither of us would be able to beat you with two or more pendants on. Well, as it so turns out, we were right." "You bet you were right. I'd probably knock 'ya down on the first hit if I had all of my pendants on…" "I wouldn't doubt that…" After being carried out of the arena by Jaike, and on to one of the waiting room's benches, Jaike held out something to Satuxim. "A Sun Pendant...?" "You know, even if you weren't able 'ta beat me, you still put up a good fight. Take it. It's yours, my friend." "Thanks. Now, there's one thing that I'm curious about my wings…" Satuxim then put the Emblem on. A faint crack could then be heard coming from Satuxim's back…


	13. Chapter 12: Sprouting Wings

_Author's Notes:_

Right then, first actual cliffhanger happened, right there. Expect more of those in this story… A _lot_ more. :) Also, something must be wrong with me; three early updates in a row!? I am just on the writing equivalent of a killing spree… Well, except the fact that this one is _just_ slightly smaller than the standard one-thousand words. Anyways, on to the newest chapter!

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 12: Sprouting Wings…

"_Arrrghh!_" Satuxim screeched, immense pain racking through his back. Wings sprouted from his shoulder blades, small drops of blood spurting out long with them. "Ow… By the Gods, was it _supposed_ to hurt that much? That was practically a trial in and of itself!" "Err… Satuxim, you may want to look at 'yer wings…?" Jaike looked a little shocked for some unknown reason. Satuxim glanced back at his newly sprouted wings, to see that, instead of the normal white wings an Angel gets, he had jet-black wings, instead.

After a brief pause, Satuxim said, "Well, that's a question answered!" Jaike merely stared, a question mark practically visible over his head. "I was wondering if my dark powers would affect my wing color. And, as it so turns out, it did!" He made his newly-sprouted wings flutter a bit, cringing a bit in the process, but also smiling. "Good to see that those work," Jaike said, getting up. "Now, it's getting late. What say you go back to your home?" Satuxim walked out of the waiting room and glanced up to the sky, seeing that it _is_ getting a tad darker than usual. "I guess it is. See you tomorrow, perhaps…?" Jaike merely shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not." They then went their separate ways, going to their respective homes to get some shut-eye.

Satuxim walked into the Suizahn house, wanting to get some rest, but only after he showed the family his new wings that, in his opinion, looked _awesome_. "Hey, everyone, come check this out!" he almost yelled. "_We're in the dining room! Just come over here!_" a voice yelled, probably Mr. Suizahn's. Satuxim went to the dining room, as asked, and sat down in an empty seat. They all glanced at his curiously, not sure what he wanted to show him. "_Check this out_." He then revealed his wings. Mr. Suizahn and Kazai applauded, Kieri nodded, and Mrs. Suizahn merely stared, a swirl of unidentifiable emotions in her eyes.

"Congratulations on your new Sun Pendant and wings! Though, why are they black…?" he asked, first pleased, then curious. "Well, you know that I have a possession over dark power, right?" They all nodded at this. "Well, it's a lot like with my eyes," they flashed red at this, "the darkness gets through and manifests itself in my physical features; those being my eyes, as stated before, my hair, that, _yes_, is natural, and now, my wings." They all looked satisfied with his explanation, and Satuxim sat down to eat his food, which, thankfully, was not yet cold, and the others merely got back to eating.

When their dinner was done with, Mr. Suizahn asked a question; "So, Satuxim… What _did_ you do to earn that Pendant?" "Well, I fought Jaike again; this time, with two Pendants. I ended up losing, but I got the Pendant anyway for putting up a sufficiently good fight, and also for possibly winning the tournament the other day." "Now, all I've got to wonder is when my kids will get their own…" he said, grinning jokingly. Satuxim chuckled at this. Satuxim then got up and went to bed. Upon falling asleep, he didn't have any nightmares; just peaceful dreams.

Waking up from the first refreshing sleep he's had in a while, Satuxim did his morning procedures and went to school along with Kieri, wondering what he would learn today. They went to Jaine's class, as per usual, and sat down. After their daily dose of Lingo-learning, the two then went to their respective classes. The school day went along like a normal one for all of it's entirety, also ending like normal. After school, Satuxim was confronted by Kazai; unlike last night, he now had a Sun Pendant of his own, and looked proud of it. "Satuxim, I challenge you to a rematch; the arena, half an hour!" Satuxim looked a tad shocked at his sudden demand, then nodded. "Alright. If that's what'cha want. But again, just don't be surprised when you beat me." After said half an hour passed, the two met in the arena, once again vacant of any on-lookers. "You sure you want to do this?" Satuxim asked. "More than certain." Kazai said resolutely. "Alright-y, then. If you insist…"


	14. Chapter 13: And Flying!

_Author's Notes:_

Schools finally winding down; just eight more days by the time this is posted! Oh, yeah, and slightly late chapter 'n smaller word count n' all that bad stuff. Meh.

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 13: … And Flying!

_Kazai appeared! Satuxim attacks! Deals 39 damage! Kazai attacks! Deals 20 damage! Satuxim casts Nosferatu! Deals 40 damage! Heals 20 HP! Kazai casts Torrent! Deals 24 damage! Satuxim casts Darkness! Deals 36 damage! Kazai flies up high!_ Kazai used his newly-found ability to fly to use, and went up outside of Satuxim's reach. "Come on, Satuxim! Surely you came fly with those? Or are those just dead weight?" the Angle taunted. "Trust me; I can!" He wasn't entirely sure if he was lying to himself, but he tried taking flight anyways.

Surely enough, with a bit of effort, he could; and it felt _good_, being free of the bounds that were the ground. _Satuxim flies up high!_ "Back to our fight!" Satuxim exclaimed. "Agreed!" _Kazai attacks! Deals 23 damage! Satuxim casts Nosferatu! Deals 39 damage! Heals 20 HP! Kazai attacks! Critical hit! Deals 44 damage! Satuxim attacks! Critical hit! Deals 86 damage! _Kazai found that he had no more energy, and attempted to land back on the ground smoothly, but had a hard time doing so. Satuxim swooped over to him to stop him from crashing, and holding his arm over his neck, flapped his wings as hard as he could to prevent a bad landing.

_Felled_ _Kazai! Satuxim grows to Level 5! Gains 19 HP! Gains 22 Strength! Gains 15 Defense! Gains 23 Speed! Gains the Skill Sol! Recover half of the damage dealt to opponents!_ After landing, luckily without a hitch, two sat down, both exhausted, but Kazai far more than Satuxim. He chuckled a little bit, saying, "Welp, there's another wound to your pride, I suppose." Kazai, already looking downtrodden, looked downright depressed after he said that.

Satuxim recognized his mistake immediately, apologizing, "Oh, er, sorry! Didn't mean to word it like that!" Kazai merely stood up and walked away, now having enough energy to move. Satuxim glanced over to him as he went, growing more concerned by the second that he's made a wound that can't be healed by time alone…

Walking back to the Suizahn house, Satuxim wondered how he could make up to Kazai. It was practically a real slice to Kazai's skin to lose to the same guy twice, he knew. Gifts probably wouldn't work, nor would words, he's already tried that, and he's not going to just let himself take a beating, either. He was running out of options, and when he realized that he truly couldn't find a way to renew his relationship with Kazai, he just had to pray to Mother Gaia and Father Syndel that his wounded pride would heal with time, though he was still doubting that would happen.

Upon walking into the door, Mr. Suizahn greeted him yet again. "So, if I've heard correctly, you've beaten my son. _Twice_. This time without outside aid." "Yes, actually. How did you know…?" "Kazai walked in here with bandages all over him again." "Oh. Yeah, that does make sense…" Mr. Suizahn put a hand on Satuxim's shoulder. "Even if you aren't my biological son, I'm still proud of you." He then pulled him into an embrace. Satuxim stuttered a little, saying, "Oh, um… Thanks?" This went on for a little while longer. Awkwardly, Satuxim said, "Can you let me go now? I'm kind of tired…" He let go of him, like he asked, and Satuxim went straight to bed, not feeling hungry in the slightest.

He sat in his still dusty bed, contemplating over recent events. Good friends with the Suizahn family, practically arch-nemesis of Kazai, gets along with the teachers, and is over all getting along very well. Sleep eventually took him, thoughts both positive and negative swirling in his mind. He slept dreamlessly as well, not having a single nightmare, and thus, not waking up even once…


	15. Chapter 14: The Missing Angel

_Author's Notes:_

And another late update, just to make up for those early ones! I lost meh flash drive, however a petty and unbelievable reason that may be. Sue me. Oh, yeah, and today's the last day of school. So now, this'd qualify as homework! … Yeah, that was lame, I'm sorry. Anyway, on to the story!

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 14: The Missing Angel

"Hmm… Now, how to go about this…" mumbled. After getting up from his bed, he was still contemplating on how exactly he should apologize to Kazai, just like last night. Also like last night, no good methods came to him; he wouldn't let Kazai beat him up, words wouldn't work, and no good gifts would come to mind, either; now that Satuxim thought about it, he really didn't know _anything_ about Kieri's twin, besides that he likes winning a good fight, of course.

"Well, I suppose time'll have to heal that wound… Even though time is not exactly a forgiving mistress, but I think that that's my only option here…" he said, walking out of his room and heading to school, and, like usual, meeting with Kieri along the way. Satuxim waved to her. "Hello, Kieri. Have you seen Kazai anywhere, by chance?" "No, I have not, actually. And I presume that you haven't seen him, either?" "Nope. That's why I asked that question."

"Well, that makes me a little uneasy… Where could he have gone?" Satuxim shrugged. "I 'dunno. Perhaps he went to some secret, out-of-the-way location to hone his skills to perfection!" he exclaimed dramatically. Kieri merely stared weirdly at him. "… Or _maybe_ I'm just overthinking this whilst being overly dramatic. Meh." "Well, either way, we've got to go to school now. I hope we're not late…" Kieri said. "Same here." They then walked out of the door, on their way to school…

On the way there, they got a little side-tracked by someone requesting some assistance; it was… Senja? And he didn't have his armor on, either; instead, he was wearing a rather casual orange shirt with no sleeves, and some baggy-looking green shorts. "Ah, Satuxim! Just the kind of guy I needed! Can you help a friend out over here?" "Well, I'm not sure when I started calling you a friend, but, sure…" "Great! Now, I can't seem to find my lance. It's a family heirloom that I took with me when I died. Pretty important, you know? Can you help me find it?" "Okay, if you need it." Senja didn't seem to notice Kieri standing there, that is, until he turned a bit and saw her.

"Oh, hello there, miss! Who are you?" She looked a little nervous when he asked her the question, but still answered, "K-Kieri. Kieri Suizahn." "Oh, as in the brother of Kazai Suizahn?" "Yes…" "I've fought with your brother on multiple occasions. Lost every time. I thought he was unbeatable. Well, that is, until Satuxim came along and defeated him, of course…" "That I did. Twice now, actually." Senja looked pretty shocked. "Really!? When?" The conversation went on for a while, until Kieri coughed a little. The two looked at her quizzically. "Erm… Shouldn't we be talking about your lost lance…?"

"Ah, yes. Getting back on track here, my lance, which is called the Gáe Bolg, yes, weird name, I know, went missing. I'm not sure where it went; it probably wasn't stolen, this _is_ heaven, after all, so I'm truly at a loss here. I've looked all over my house, and even the arena, as I may have left it there, but no luck in either places." "Well, yes, that _is_ rather troubling. I suppose we've no choice but to keep an eye out for it, as we have no idea where it may be." Satuxim said. Senja let out a somewhat sad sigh. "I guess so…" He then walked off, leaving Satuxim and Kieri there. "… We're _so_ late for school, aren't we?" Kieri looked a little shocked as she remembered, "Yes, yes we are!" They both ran off, hopeful that they wouldn't get into any sort of trouble for being late…

"Well, I see you two are late." Jaine said. "Erm, well, you see, we were helping out a friend of mine…" Satuxim relayed his little talk with Senja to her. Jaine contemplated for a moment, then said, "Hmm… Is suppose that your reasons _are_ just… Very well. I'll give you a break, but _just this once_." Satuxim and Kieri nodded gratefully, and left to their seats. "I hope we didn't miss too much," Satuxim mumbled. "Me, as well," Kieri said.

After class was done, the two Angels walked back to their house. "Actually, wait a second," Satuxim said. "What is it?" Kieri asked. "… I think I'm going to go look for Kazai." he responded. "This may take a while, so don't be surprised if I don't come back for a while." Kieri glanced warily at him. "I-I don't think that you need to concern yourself too much over him. He's strong-" Satuxim cut her off, saying, "I know that he's strong. It's how and possibly _what_ he's doing that concerns me." Kieri thought for a moment, then sighed before answering, "Very well. If you think you must…" Kieri then walked over to the Suizahn house by herself. Satuxim looked back at her, then said to himself, "Time to start the search…"


	16. Chapter 15: The Fall

_Author's Notes:_

_School! Is! Out!_ _Uwee hee hee_! Ah, yes, that means more time to work on this, though to be completely honest, I've already had a lot of spare time to begin with. ;) Anyways, with all of my hyperactive banter about school's end out of the way (However little of it there was!), on to the story. I, myself, think that the story starts to pick up and become more exciting starting in this chapter! Oh, yeah, and double-update, before I forget. How about that…

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 15: The Fall

Satuxim went looking all around the Heaven; 'Kazai probably wasn't outside of the city, that's forbidden territory, after all, so where could he be?' he thought to himself, 'Not at school, or the Suizahn house. That's still a _lot_ of territory to cover, though…' He began by looking right along the outskirts of the city; forests and small springs generally made up most this area. Satuxim noted that it was all really quite beautiful; but what did you expect? It _was_ Heaven, after all.

Whilst sifting through the trees and shrubbery, he managed to spot a pristine, clear waterfall; a _swish_ could occasionally be heard. The _swish_ of a sword, in fact. It was, of course, Kazai who was making those noises; he was swinging at a tree, apparently wanting to cut it down, judging by the thick gouge in the middle of it. "Kazai! There you are!" Satuxim exclaimed, mainly to get his attention. Kazai glanced back at him, stopping his swings. Sweat dripped heavily off of him as he turned around. "… Satuxim." "What where are you doing here for so long? Your family – yes, even me, - were concerned about you!" Kazai shook his head in disagreement. "My family's concerns don't matter. Not in the face of my practice. Not in beating you. Not in the face of my wounded pride…" Kazai then went back to eating on the tree with his sword.

Satuxim shook his head as well, but this time in disapproval. "Kazai, pride is a sin for a reason. You're an Angel. You should know this. Pride hurts. Pride wounds. Pride _kills_. Now, come back. Everyone is worried about you…" "No. I shall not. Not until I _know_ that I am strong enough to beat you. Not until then…" Satuxim's eyes glowed a brighter red at this, frustrated. "… Hmph. Well, be like that, then. Knock yourself out from exhaustion, for all I care…" Satuxim then stormed off, a tad angry at Kazai's stubbornness.

On the way home, Satuxim encountered something strange; a small speck of purple and black… energy, for lack of a better term. He simply couldn't figure out what it was. He touched it, and he felt something flow out of his body and into the speck; he tried to pull away, but found that he couldn't. It grew larger, and larger, until it was big enough to engulf him; which it did, of course. Trying to get out of the now swirling pool of darkness was futile, as he's already tried it. It drew him down, inch by inch. He saw Kazai running towards him, shocked at what was going on; he stretched his arm out, saying, "Take my hand!" He reached his own arm out, desperately trying to do so; but couldn't, falling just short.

His head was finally submerged, and he knew he was gone; to where, he didn't know. He screeched, afraid; he felt like he was falling; falling down, falling for a long time; nothing but white surrounded him. He went unconscious, some unknown force making him do so. The last thing he felt before completely blacking out was hitting something hard, yet, also soft, and nothing but green in his shrinking field of vision…


	17. Chapter 16: Welcome to Medius!

_Author's Notes:_

And now, welcome to _Medius_! The story, as I said last chapter, really begins to pick up here. Or, at least, I _hope_ it will! New friends and enemies (_Especially_ enemies!) will be made! Adventures will happen! And, perhaps, most importantly, epic battles will be fought! But enough of my own excitement at this new beginning! Start reading the actual chapter!

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 16: Welcome to Medius!

Satuxim finally regained consciousness, wondering just _what the Hell had happened to him_. Glancing upward, and pushing himself to his knees, he looked around, seeing some dull-green grass, some hazy mist that brought about an almost _mysterious_ feeling and, creepily enough, _grave stones_. _That_ creeped him out a little. Not wanting to stay there any longer than necessary, he got up (A little shakily, of course) and walked out of there as fast as he could, not stopping to look around, or read any of the graves. Thus, he missed a rather strange one; it read, 'Sakido', and above that, with scribbles all over it, was also the name 'Rhea Snaketail'…

Satuxim eventually managed to get himself out of the graveyard, and meandered into a forest; judging by the snow all over the place, it was probably either winter, or it was cold all year-round. He wasn't sure which it was; he would have to ask the locals. And speaking of locals, where even was he? Not in Heaven anymore, that much, at least, was certain. And, when he thought about it, Hell didn't look like this at all, last time he checked. So, he realized that meant that he was now in Medius.

At first, he was a little shocked. He quickly got over that, however, as he realized the problems now presented before him; he was in unfamiliar territory, didn't know a whole lot of Lingo, and didn't know where the nearest town/ village was, nor even what inhabited it, if there even was one near him. These kind of things kept on piling up in his head until he let out a ragged, somewhat depresses sigh. 'Might as well wander aimlessly…' he thought.

Like he thought, he went ahead and walked… and walked… and walked… He kept on walking for about two hours straight, until he came by a giant wall made out of wooden stakes, formed by said stakes being right next to each other, reaching up to a height of vaguely twenty feet. Thanking his luck, which, by the way, usually wasn't exactly the best, he sprouted his wings, which, of course, he had mastered using a while ago, he flew up and beyond the great wall. Landing on the other side and hiding his wings, as he no longer needed them at the moment, he got up and started walking again.

He eventually by came a few houses; near them were relatively small, furry creatures with thick-looking white coats and fairly long tails; they wore jackets, most likely winter ones, and were playing around in the snow, throwing little balls of the stuff at each other. He walked on over, and the Jakkai, as he presumed, as they matched their description in his studies, noticed him and his ultra-intimidating, glowing red eyes, and ran away, most likely because of said eyes. 'And there it goes again!' he thought.

He chased after them, both with the intentions of apologizing to them for scaring them and getting to more civilization. Eventually, however, he ran himself ragged and found himself exhausted. "Kids these days… They run… so fast…" he muttered to himself, gasping in the process of doing so. He took a quick breather, than resumed following them; they were no longer in his line of sight, but luckily for him, they unintentionally left tracks for him to follow.

He followed these tracks for ten minutes straight ('What is with their stamina!?'), occasionally stopping still for some much-needed rest, and came by a small village of wooden houses. These houses looked relatively basic, and there wasn't really anything too extraordinary about them. Everyone present in the general vicinity was looking at him strange, though that's to be expected considering his not-so-Median appearance. The two Jakkai he chased were talking to an elderly-looking female, judging by the wrinkled on her face and the wooden cane she had on her.

After some talking between them that Satuxim couldn't quite get as, again, he didn't know much Lingo, the elderly-looking one walked forward and looked up at him warily; deciding to put his relatively small knowledge of Lingo to use, he said, "H… Hello?" She spook in an old, creaky sounding voice, "Who are you?" "Satuxim. Satuxim Umbra." He didn't quite know what to say next, so he instead settled in saying one word; "Map?" "You want a map?" He nodded at this.

"Hmph. Kids, not knowing their way around… Fine. You there," she pointed at a relatively younger-looking Jakkai, "grab a map, and bring it here." He nodded and walked off, heading over to a somewhat larger building than all of the others. "Now then, Satuxim, could you come over to my hut? We have a few things to discuss…" Satuxim looked at her warily. "Oh, no, you're not in trouble, or anything." He looked relieved. Waving a clawed hand, she guided him over to the largest hut in the area, both wanting to know who this stranger was, and just _how_ exactly he got in…


	18. Chapter 17: Talking to Strangers

_Author's Notes:_

Meh. Yet again, I've nothing to say here. Besides, of course, that I may be posting a crossover within these next couple of chapters. I'd recommend that, if, you by chance, want to see it, you either check my profile every time I post a new chapter after this, of Follow me… What is this, City Escape? But, either way, I'm not forcing you to do anything. The choice is yours, my viewers, who _may_ or _may not_ be loyal.

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 17: Talking to Strangers

After sitting himself down, Satuxim glanced about the '_chief's_' house; it was actually filled to the brim with little trinkets, like stars, sheets of paper with Lingo on them, and even a few small items that, quite frankly, have Angelic scribbled all over their surfaces. There was also this strange-looking egg in the corner. Satuxim couldn't help but receive some weird vibes from it. It also didn't exactly help that it didn't really look like a Jakkai egg at all. However, before he could ruminate on this any further, the Elder sat down, then attempted to start a conversation;

"Now, then. You aren't like any normal Human I've seen. The pale skin, the hair, and, of course, those _eyes_. You'd practically have to be _blind_ to not notice those. Answer my question; who, or possibly even _what_, are you?" Satuxim, of course, got really nervous, really fast. How could he even _begin_ to explain this to her? "Paper, and pencil. Please?" he asked, trying to sound as nice as possible. She glanced at him, curious as to why he requested some paper, but she obliged anyways. Handing him some paper and a pencil, as he asked, he began scribbling down some letters, than words, which then led to sentences. When he was done, he handed the paper to her.

It read, 'Sorry, I don't, or rather, _can't_, speak much Lingo. I _can_, however, write it down and understand it! Blame being but off from school all of a sudden, if you want to. I sure do. Either way, you asked for my name. May I have the pleasure of your name, as well?' After reading it over, she sighed, and responded, "Nuvama Oakheart. Now, why can't you speak Lingo? I want the truth." He took the paper and scribbled down some more words. '… Promise not to tell anyone else?' "Why do you ask?" Jots down a few more words… 'Well… To be bluntly honest… I'm an Angel.'

She looked a tad shocked for a moment, then started laughing at him. "Hah… Ohohoho, you think _that_ hasn't been said to me before? I'm almost a _century old_. I know what these pranks are about-" She was then abruptly cut off by the _swoosh_ of Satuxim's wings. She momentarily gasped in shock, then recomposed herself. "Hm. Well, that's something you don't see every day… A boy coming along and sprouting wings. You still don't have me fooled, though. You got the wing dye wrong, and I'm pretty sure that Angels don't have black hair and glowing red eyes." Satuxim then spread an arm out, and produced a sphere of Dark magic. With his spare hand, he wrote (With some difficulty), 'Well, it's not exactly _my_ fault that I was born in Hell and raised by Demons who, by the way, were _terrible_ parents. Honestly, the nerve of some people… Oh, and you see the sphere of darkness in my hand? That's Dark magic. Now _that's_ probably something you don't see every day. Yeah, want a demonstration of my powers?'

Before she could even answer that last sentence, he chucked the ball skyward; luckily, the house had an opening at the very tip of the roof, so no damage was done. After a couple seconds, Satuxim snapped his fingers, and a faint _boom_ rang out. The Jakkai looked back at the paper, and a new sentence was written on it; 'Convinced yet?' She nodded, trying and failing to not shake her body. "Wait, then if Angels are real… Then wouldn't that mean that the Twelve Gaurdians, Gaia, Death, and Syndel also exist?" Satuxim took the paper and wrote on it some more; 'Right-o! But _no telling anyone_! I don't want a crowd swarming me, asking awkward questions… You can do so when I leave, though.'

She looked tempted to go outside and tell everyone in the village right that moment anyway, but managed a firm nod in agreement. 'Now, I shall take my leave…' "Wait. You forget your map. The one I sent should be back any moment now…" Just then, said Jakkai walked in with the map in hand. Satuxim hid his wings just in the nick of time before he walked in, keeping the secret for now. "Mr… Satuxim, was it? Here is the map you requested." He said, handing the parchment to him. Undoing the band keeping it in a roll and opening it, he saw a fairly detailed map of Medius. Looking over to the heavily wooded-looking area in the north-western corner, he saw a small house labeled 'Farun'. This was most likely the place he was right now, so he made sure to remember it.

Suddenly, many screams were heard; the Jakkai who gave Satuxim his map looked outside to investigate, then yelled at them both; "_Nuvama! The village is under attack by brigands!"_


	19. Chapter 18: 'Dem Brigands

_Author's Notes:_

Hmm… I think that the story is getting along pretty well. Now that I think about it, though, the change from Heaven to Medius was kind of sudden. Perhaps I'll edit that chapter later, to make the transition just a tad smooth… But, for now, continue reading my story!

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 18: 'Dem Brigands…

"_Wait, what_!?" the Elder and Satuxim said simultaneously. Both were quite evidently shocked, but Satuxim got over it and ran outside, on playing hero intent on saving the day. Most of the houses were, unfortunately, on fire. Satuxim wondered just _how_, exactly, they managed to set a couple _dozen_ houses on fire in just a few seconds, but, _again_, before he could ruminate on this further, he was rudely interrupted by a Hand Axe being thrown in his direction, missing him, quite literally, by a hair. It flew on, then implanted itself into a nearby tree.

"You there! Fork over all 'a 'yer money, or 'yer dead!" A scratchy, borderline _scathing_ voice, said. He looked over in that direction, and saw a rough-looking Human, most likely in his early forties, with a beard that, evidently, hasn't beard shaved in a while. He also possessed some messy-looking, uncombed hair, and had several scratches all over his body; and speaking of which, he wasn't wearing a shirt. "Hah. No. Never. Not to someone like you," Satuxim said, drawing his sword, attempting to look brave. "_Hah_! I like 'yer ai'tude," the brigand drew out another axe, saying, "but that ain't gonna change a thing! 'Yer a dead man walking, now!" He then charged Satuxim, aiming to end his life…

_Brigand_ _appeared_! _Satuxim attacks_! _Deals 47 damage! Brigand attacks! Deals 23 damage! Satuxim attacks! Triggers Sol!_ "What will you do _now_?" he taunted in Angelic, a glow engulfing his sword. He then leapt, striking a vertical slash across his chest…_ Deals 46 damage! Heals 23 HP! Brigand chucks his Hand Axe! Deals 38 damage! Satuxim casts Nosferatu! Deals 50 damage! Heals 25 HP! Felled Brigand!_

"Pretty easy," Satuxim mumbled to himself. He then poked the brigand. No response, not even a twitch. "You are dead. Not big surprise." A couple more bandits then arrived. They glanced at the body, then at Satuxim. "Oh my God, you killed Kenny! You bastard!" one of the exclaimed. "Yeah! What the Hell, man!?" the other said. "Satuxim then pointed his sword in their direction. He need only said one word; "Leave." The two then glanced at each other, and warily nodded. "Fine. But you're 'a get I' when we come back! The Boss ain' gonna be 'appy wi' 'is…" The two then ran off, presumably to wherever their hideout was. They left the body behind, however.

"How disrespectful…" Satuxim muttered. He picked up the body. And threw it over his shoulder, intending to carry it back to the graveyard where he first landed in Medius. He had a few Jakkai on-lookers, from behind the buildings, strangely glancing at him before coming out and repairing the damage those couple of bandits caused. Judging by how they got right to work and not looking shocked or grieving, these bandits have been hounding them for quite a while now…

Upon getting back to the graveyard, he started burying Kenny, as he was called by the other two brigands. It took a while, a few hours, to be exact, but he eventually managed to get the job done. He sat down, and prayed that he would not be sent to Hell, or, at the very least, not the deeper bowels of the place, despite the misdeeds he may have done in his life on Medius.

"Quite a respectful thing you have done here, Satuxim. Even though he may have not deserved it." He glanced up to see Nuvama gazing at the new gravesite he made. Satuxim forgot one vital touch, and was about to ask, but Nuvama be him to the punch; "Ah, don't you worry; we'll get an actual gravestone here, soon enough…" "Ah. That is good," Satuxim responded. The two sat there in silence for a short while, until Satuxim got up, and began walking away. "And where, might I ask, are you going?" Nuvama inquired. Satuxim simply responded, in a rather dark tone, "Takin' care of bandits."

Skirting around the town, he paced into the forest behind Farun; this was the general direction the duo of bandits went. Luckily, the two didn't bother to cover their tracks, so going after them wasn't exactly a difficult affair. After following these tracks for a good hour or so, he came upon a fortress; a fortress of _wood_, that stretched upwards for what seemed to be _at least_ fifty feet. A relatively large gate lay before him, going up to a _completely unnecessary_ height. He guessed that it was one of those things where you could only go inside upon saying your name. Those two've probably announced who killed off one of their pals, so that wouldn't do any good. If anything, it would probably attract some unwanted attention, and _lots_ of it, as well. So, instead, he would have to force his way. He got to work hacking away at the wood. 'This 'oughta take a while,' he thought glumly…


	20. Chapter 19: Counter-Strike

_Author's Notes:_

Yeah, sorry 'bout that skipped week. _Again_. I just felt that I needed a little bit of a break, okay? Who doesn't shirk off their work occasionally? I do, hoever, _pwinkie pwomise_ that I'll get back to work, and get back on track with my Sunday schedule. Start reading the chapter, already!

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 19: Counter-Strike

It took a whole _two_ _hours_, but Satuxim eventually managed to slash a hole through the wood big enough for him to walk through. Miraculously, none of the brigands came out to investigate the noise that was being made on their front door. Either they weren't smart enough to post guards or patrol the base, or they just didn't have enough people to actually do the former. Either way, Satuxim made his way inside, careful of any bandits that may be lurking about in the corridors…

For reasons currently unknown to him, he came by no bandits at all. None. 'Nodda. Zero. Absolutely no one. 'Well, that's odd…' he thought. He was still wary, however; they could jump out at him at any given moment! He kept on walking through the dimly lit stronghold of the bandits the lights coming from the occasional torch on the wall, until he came by a small series of prison cells. About a dozen of them were there made of iron, side by side, embedded into a rock wall. There were many prisoners inside; mostly Jakkai, but the occasional Human, as well. They were all just sitting there, being depressed, minding their own business, until Satuxim came along, of course.

"Hey! You all alright?" he asked. They all looked up at him, and a Human asked, "Who're you? Have you come to save us?" Satuxim merely nodded, and said, "I'll be back. No keys." Most of them stared at him, disappointed, as he walked off, but some of them also held a tiny sparkle of hopes in their eyes. Continuing onward, a tad disappointed himself that he couldn't rescue them at the moment, he came to a split; two wooden signs were there. The sign that pointed right read 'Hoard', and the one that pointed left read 'Masters Room'. He noted that they didn't use proper grammar on the left sign, not that it really mattered a whole lot. Curious, however, he went first to the right.

What he discovered there were piles upon piles of what were presumably others' possessions at some point; emptied purses, valuable and expensive-looking clothes, some weapons, and even a couple of books on magic were just a _few_ of the things he found in there. However, he was a nice enough guy to _not_ steal, so he left these items alone, except for a shield that looked to be of fairly competent design. It was round, with a spike protruding from the middle, and a blue stripe going vertically and horizontally across it. 'It could probably prove useful in the fights ahead…' he thought, though he did feel a titch guilty about stealing it. It was for the greater good, though, so he took it anyways.

He got back out to the split, and this time went left. He took note of how there were more extravagant-looking torches, and the mildly decorated walls. He grandiose door eventually lay before him, and he knocked, both to be polite (Even though he was going up against a presumably bad guy!) and just for the heck of it. "Come in." a gruff-sounding voice answered. He opened the door slowly, as not to disturb whatever this person was doing, and calmly walked in.

"Well, hi there, mister. I heard that you were the leader of this pack of brigands?" "And if I were?" Said person turned over his spinning chair to look at him over the table. This man was pretty burly, with a large constitution and muscles all over his body, with tan skin. A buzz cut of blonde hair was on his face, and cold, hard, and most of all, determined eyes, glared back at him. Satuxim drew his sword, and trying to sound as intimidating as possible, said, "Then you'll have to die. Or turn you in. Whichever comes first." He merely snorted in response. "Kid, I'm afraid that you have _no god damn idea_ what you've gotten yourself into." He slowly got up, and drew a positively _massive_ axe; it was at _least_ five feet in length, and the blade was at least 2/5's of the overall length. Attached to the end of the actual pole of the axe was another blade; it was a two-sided broad-axe, basically.

"Good weapon you got there," Satuxim said, "was _that_ stolen, as well?" "No, actually. I forged it from some dragon fangs, and extremely strong steel. Why, I bet I could cleave you in two with this if I actually put forth the force necessary." Satuxim merely shrugged. "Maybe. Want to test that?" The leader shrugged back. "Oh, why not? But I think that we should take this outside, first. I don't want my valuables damaged, after all…" They nodded, and headed outside to commence their fight. "Right then. If thought that you were gonna survive this, then I'm afraid that you were sorely mistaken." "Wait, what's your name?" Satuxim inquired, nearly forgetting. "You can call me Ganelon." The two eventually made it out into the open of the forest, and bowed to each other surprisingly politely. They backed up, and the fight commenced!


	21. Chapter 20: The Ganelon Bandits

_Author's Notes: _

_Finally_ back on schedule! Sorry 'bout that late update last week, now read the chapter! I've fulfilled my end of the bargain… Even though it wasn't really a bargain to begin with, and it _is_ just a tad late. Hmm… Man, when you really think about it, that expressions hardly ever _actually_ fits into a situation… But, I'm getting off-track here. Start reading the chapter!

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 20: The Ganelon Bandits

_Ganelon appeared! Ganelon attacks!_ He took his broad-axe, raised it to the sky, and running forward, swung the weapon straight into Satuxim's shoulder. _Deals 87 damage! _Satuxim grimaced, but still managed to attack back. _Triggers Sol! Satuxim casts Nosferatu! Deals 53 damage! Heals 53 HP! _(Yes, the effects do indeed stack on to each other.) _Ganelon attacks! Critical Hit! Deals 180 damage! OVERKILL! _"Well… There it goes… again…" Satuxim choked out. He lay there on the ground, yet again, bleeding profusely. "Say 'yer prayers, kid. You are about to die. Scream if you feel you must." Genelon said, raising his axe, seeking to decapitate Satuxim. "Not if I can help it!" a voice shouted, interrupting Ganelon. It sounded quite familiar to Satuxim, as well.

A large man clad in armor charged forth with a lance in hand, seeking to impale the man with the axe! _Deals 63 damage!_ "Satuxim! Buddy, you all right?" "Senja…? When… did you get here?" Satuxim said. "Oh, Kazai fetched some others to help get you out of that black hole… thingy-majiger. And as it so turned out, I was the closest to him, so he quite literally dragged me over and pretty much threw me in." An awkward silence followed, with both Gnaelon and Satuxim simply gaping in mild shock at him. "… Now that I think about it, that was really quite a dick move on his part. Oh, yeah, and I've brought along someone else, as well."

A pink speck sprang out of his armor and flew over to Satuxim, spraying some magical dust over him. Satuxim sprang up, and grabbed his sword, which was laying on the ground next to him, and got back into a fighting stance. The fairy them swooped back into Senja's armor. "Huh… Déjà vu. Same fairy, too. Hey, that rhymed!" Ganelon coughed awkwardly. "Oh, yeah, um, back to our fight!"

_Satuxim attacks! Deals 47 damage! Ganelon attacks! Deals 32 damage to Senja! Senja attacks! Deals 84 damage! Satuxim casts Darkness! Critical hit! Deals 94 damage! Senja attacks! Deals 59 damage! Satuxim casts Nosferatu! Deals 50 damage! Recovers 50 HP! Ganelon attacks! Critical hit! Deals 66 damage to Senja! Senja attacks! Critical hit! Deals 104 damage! Satuxim attacks! Deals 46 damage! _One man could only take so much; bleeding in at _least_ a dozen and a half different places, he finally flopped down on the ground, defeated. "Grrr… Argh… N-No… How… could this happen…?" _Felled Ganelon! Satuxim grows to Level 6! Gains 18 HP! Gains 16 Strength! Gains 11 Defense! Gains 15 Speed! Senja grows to Level 4! Gains 23 HP! Gains 21 Strength! Gains 24 Defense! Gains 3 Speed! Senja's Current Stats: 124 HP. 94 Strength. 130 Defense. 18 Speed. _

"So… I guess that my… Village-pillaging days are over, then… Tell the boys… We're disbanded… Consider it… an old man's last req-" He stopped breathing. Satuxim reached two fingers down to his neck. "Yep. Definitely dead." he said in Angelic. "Meh. 'Proly deserved it. Anyway, did you, by chance, see any other bandits on the way here, or in the actual base?" Satuxim shook his head in a no. "Well then, we still have a problem. Who knows where they could be?" "Well, either way, we've still got some prisoners to free. Who knows how long they've been in there?" "Good point. I suppose we'll just deal with the remaining bandits as they come along…" They two walked back toward the base 'o the bandits, both to free the prisoners, as they've already said, and also return any and all stolen items the bandits have pilfered.

They eventually managed to find the keys to the jail cells in one of the back compartments of Ganelon's desk; the two eventually got around to opening all of the cells; they then herded the former inmates over to the treasury, and let them have at their items. It took around a half-an-hour, and all of the stolen things were taken back except one; a book, with inscriptions upon it that couldn't be read, as they were not in Lingo or Angelic. Satuxim held up the book, and shouted, "_Hey! _Who's book is this?" The remaining people in the room briefly glanced back at him, and shook their heads. Satuxim lowered the book back down, and looked at it curiously. "Hm. I guess I'll just look for the owner." He mumbled to himself. He then beckoned Senja to follow him out of the room, as their work here was now done.

Satuxim and Senja made their way back to Farun, and were greeted by a crown of Jakkai. The Elder made her way forward, and said, "Impressive work, Satuxim. I've heard of your deeds from one of the released prisoners… Who's this?" "Why, hello there, Ms.. I am Senja, friend of Satuxim. He now he owes me his life, as I've just saved his," Satuxim glowered at him at this, "and we, together, have just saved your village from bandits." The last part was more intended for the entire crowd. "Hm. Satuxim, come forward, if you'd so please." He walked forward, like he asked. She pulled out an egg; the strange-looking egg that Satuxim saw in the corner of her hut, in fact. "This is not a Jakkai egg. We found it in a snow pile near our village about a decade ago. Though it may not ever hatch, nor may it have much meaning to you, we'd like you to have it, as thanks from the entire village." Satuxim nodded, and took the egg in his hands…


	22. Chapter 21: What is This?

_Author's Notes_:

I may have lost my flash drive again, but that won't stop me from updating _this_ time! Yeah, I'm typing this on my home computer. I'd much prefer doing this on my laptop, but that also isn't possible right now. Meh. If I must say so, I've been looking forward, and thinking about hard, to this specific event since the very start of this Fiction, so it wasn't _too_ hard to do this all in one sitting.

Or, at least, that's what I _would've_ said honestly were it not for the fact that my older brother came along and literally _tore me_ off of the computer when I was 490 words through this. _Now_ do you see why I like to work on my laptop, and also why this chapter is late (Again!)? _Sigh_…

Either way, I think that I, myself think this chapter, specifically, turned out pretty good. Read on, now…

Disclaimer:

_Slightly Damned_, and any other references found in this story, belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries. I claim no ownership to any of them.

_The Fallen_

Chapter 21: What _is _This!?

Satuxim took the egg in his hands… And, suddenly, purple sparks, pulses of electricity, whatever you want to call it, flew in between the two. Satuxim nearly dropped the egg in shock (Forgive this terrible pun…), but had the wit to know that it was most likely delicate, and thus, held on tight to it. When the sparks stopped flying, and that little endeavor was finally over with, everyone present looked at the egg warily, cautious of what it might do next, and rightly so.

And it was a good thing that they were cautious, as the egg was enveloped in a light that could best be described as _blinding_. As such, they were all forced to look away again, but, even still, Satuxim held firm to the object currently in his hands. Egg shards started to fly everywhere, but, gain, as no one was looking, they didn't notice it. When _that_ was finally done with, something that was _not _an egg was now laying in his hands.

A green… _thing_, was lying in his hands now. It had a spike protruding from it's head, with and a red underbelly. Two small triangles pointed from where it's eyes presumably were, and judging by the texture, it was covered in rock, most likely for protection. A tail which spread out like a fan in six different directions was also present.

Senja awkwardly asked a question; "Erm… Satuxim, do you know what that thing is?" Satuxim responded in Angelic, "I've no idea, either. I _do_ two things, however…" "And what may those things be…?" "One: It's _so adorable!_ And two:" he yelled out this next part in Lingo, "_I'm keeping it_!" Oakheart, clearly amused by his childish antics, said, "Well, I suppose that's reward enough; a pet. Now, I'd appreciate it if you'd get lost." She laced the last two words with humor, and he could tell. He responded with that same humor, "You too, you _filthy animals_."

He began walking away, and beckoned Senja to follow him. "The exit is two miles east from here. From there, I recommend that you go to Riverside City. As the name implies, it's by a river, it shouldn't be _too_ hard to miss. Oh, yes, and speaking of going places, take this." She tossed a rolled-over piece of parchment over to him. "That's a map. You're clearly going to need it." Satuxim nodded in thanks. "See you later." "You too."

Said two miles took about forty minutes to traverse, and on the way, Satuxim decided to ask a couple of semi-important questions; "Okay, so first off, why is the fairy with you?" "Oh, she flew off for a little while after you nearly lost to Kazai in the arena. Gets tired, picks her up, treats her a little, stuff happens, blah blah blah, you probably don't care that much for the details." Satuxim shrugged. "Hmm. Next question; have you found the Gáe Bolg yet? Is that even how you pronounce it, also?" "No, still not a titch of luck, and GAYa-Bolg. Again, strange name, I know. Now, if you wouldn't mind, a question of my own; where did that… _thing_ that hatched from that egg go? I could'a sworn that you were carrying it in your arms a couple of minutes ago."

"Oh, it's in the pack on my back. It actually fits quite nicely into the biggest sack. You may not've noticed, but the Elder there gave me this as another gift." Said pack was made of some ordinary-looking pale-brown leather. It was really nothing special. "Only problem here is that, for such a small creature, it feels like it weighs a _ton_. What is it made of, _solid stone_!?" Senja casually replied, "Oh, you'd be surprised at just how strange things can be. Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. Actually, wait, can you hand me it? I want to see how heavy it actually is." "Okay, sure. I think it's still sleeping. Hold on a moment…"

He had to sit down on the snowy ground for a moment to get it out of his bag, and he handed it to Senja. "Woah, you're right. This thing doesn't even have any baby fat; it's just _really frickin' heavy_, is all. Maybe it _is_ actually made of rock…" And just then, the thing decided to wake up…


	23. An Important Notice

_An Important Notice:_

Sorry, fella's, but this thing is going on what may or may not be an indefinite hiatus. The reason? No real excuse, besides the fact that school will be starting tomorrow by the time that I'm typing this. And also laziness.


End file.
